Updated October 27, 2006
Updated October 27, 2006
I dont care what it takes! I want ALL! Those words could only be uttered by the Parisian prostitute, Marie Bonaguide. She is extremely selfish and only thinks of her wants and desires.
Born to a wealthy family in Paris, Bonaguide was raised a very spoiled child. Whenever she wanted a new toy, she cried until her parents bought it for her (and they often did). She didnt receive any form of discipline and it often showed during her school years. She bragged about the amount of money her father gave her, her fancy new dresses, and anything that pertained to her selfish satisfaction. As a result, she was not liked by the children her age. Some chose to ignore her while others threw mud at her, staining her fancy dresses. Nevertheless, Bonaguide only gave the reply, Youre all filthy peasants anyway!
During her teenage years, she squandered the money given to her on the finer things in life. Consequently, her parents ended up deep in debt. As their daughter did not relent, they threw her out. The young Bonaguide was forced to find some way of making ends meet. Therefore, she went into prostitution. The job made her happy because her lovers spoiled her greatly. If a man didn't get her anything and everything she wanted, she would ditch him without a second thought and steal what she wanted. One of these men who couldnt meet her wants was a young boy who came to France by means of a pirate ship (later known as Fidget, partner of Lillian Bates).
But Mademoiselle Bonaguides easy life didn't prevent her from getting into trouble. She was often arrested by the French police for many criminal charges. One frequent charge was possession of stolen goods (some men she eloped with were wanted thieves). She was often charged with robbery, resisting and assaulting a police officer, disturbing the piece, and other charges that resulted from her lack of discipline. She spent time in jail as a result. The charges and jail time werent enough to teach Bonaguide any manners. She still continued to live a non-structured life. The punishments that followed were more severe. The French court came to the conclusion that her criminal charges were the result of no sense of discipline. She was sentenced to ten years in prison under hard labor then sent off to a reform school. It was the very first real lesson in discipline Marie Bonaguide ever received. No one has seen or heard anything about her ever since.
What has become of Marie Bonaguide now? Many rumors say that she escaped from reform school to continue her easy life of prostitution (and who could blame them?). However there is very little evidence to support this theory.
Marie Bonaguide originally wasn't based on anyone per se. All I did to bring out her character was use the typical spoiled, bratty girl/woman, although the last name came from my foreign-language teacher from seventh grade, Ms. Jackie Bonaguide (and I was fortunate to run into her nephew via email). Her looks were slightly based on the French queen, Marie Antoinette, who is well known for her catchphrase, "Let them have cake." In order to bring out her greedy persona, I looked to Julie Dawn Cole (left) who is most remembered for her role of Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. However, I wanted an authentic French voice for Marie Bonaguide. I spent a good deal of time renting French films in order to find the right voice. Then I happened upon the French actress, Beatrice Dalle (right) in her role as Betty in 37 le matin (U.S. title: Betty Blue). Although I didn't care for the film itself, I was dazzled by Dalle's performance. Her portrayal of an irritable, spoiled, and selfish woman in the film was the perfect match for Marie.
*All properties of The Great Mouse Detective are copyright 1986 by Walt Disney Productions. All other characters presented in The Fidget Connections are copyright 2002-2009 by Leila Acevedo (Reyelene).
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