Lui
Encyclopedia
Lui is a French adult entertainment magazine
created in November 1963 by Daniel Filipacchi
, a fashion photographer turned publisher, Jacques Lanzmann
, a jack of all trades turned novelist, and Frank Ténot, a press agent, pataphysician and jazz critic..
The objective was to bring some charm "à la française" to the market of men's magazines, following the success of Playboy
in the USA, launched just a decade before.
France, indeed, in the first half of 20th century had an outstanding reputation for erotic publications, feeding also foreign market and inspiring also ersatz French-flavoured magazines abroad, when, for example, US publishers used French-sounding titles like Chère and Dreamé or placed tricolour flags on the covers, attempting to attract the casual buyer. It was anyway a semi-clandestine circulating material, not allowed to be freely displayed or openly bought. In this sense Playboy changed the way 'soft-pornography' (become more respectfully 'adult entertainment'), can be publicly circulated.
This magazine was particularly successful from its origins to the early eighties, afterwards it began a long decline. It was published regularly till november 1987 (the final issue of this first series was the number 285). After 1987 there was a further attempt to relaunch the title but the publication ceased again in 1994. Passed into the hands of the media group of Michel Birnbaum, after a transient stimulus, it became a pornographic magazine with episodic dissemination. Currently it is published every three months.
, Mireille Darc
, Jane Birkin
or Marlène Jobert
.
It featured a monthly pin-up by Aslan. The first girl to pose on the cover was Valérie Lagrange (the number 1 appeared on 11/1/1963)) photographed by Francis Giacobetti, future director of the soft-core movie Emmanuelle 2
.
The magazine hosted also a cartoon by Lauzier: Les Sextraordinaires Aventures de Zizi et Peter Panpan. Among the first collaborators are Jean-Louis Bory, René Chateau, Philippe Labro, Francis Dumoulin, Francis Giacobetti, Siné, Michel Mardore, Gilles Sandier and many others.
The magazine motto was Lui, le magazine de l'homme moderne (The Magazine of the Modern Man). In the beginning, it had also a mascot, a cat's head, similarly to the magazine Playboy Bunny, but it disappeared in the early 1970s.
Initially, its specificity (compared to the first series) was that it was published in a two separate books, but from number 27, ""Lui"" returned to be a single book magazine with the new slogan "Le magazine de l'homme civilisé" (The Magazine of civilized man).
The cicrulation that was in early 1980 of 350000 copies dropped to 70 000 copies in 1993. In early 1993, the magazine abandoned the monthly release and became bimonthly. The Filipacchi group stopped publication in June 1994.
as cover girl.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
created in November 1963 by Daniel Filipacchi
Daniel Filipacchi
Daniel Filipacchi is the Chairman Emeritus of Hachette Filipacchi Médias.His life and career have been noted for his passionate involvement in art collecting, photography, and jazz...
, a fashion photographer turned publisher, Jacques Lanzmann
Jacques Lanzmann
Jacques Lanzmann was a French writer, scriptwriter and lyric writer.-Biography:...
, a jack of all trades turned novelist, and Frank Ténot, a press agent, pataphysician and jazz critic..
The objective was to bring some charm "à la française" to the market of men's magazines, following the success of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
in the USA, launched just a decade before.
France, indeed, in the first half of 20th century had an outstanding reputation for erotic publications, feeding also foreign market and inspiring also ersatz French-flavoured magazines abroad, when, for example, US publishers used French-sounding titles like Chère and Dreamé or placed tricolour flags on the covers, attempting to attract the casual buyer. It was anyway a semi-clandestine circulating material, not allowed to be freely displayed or openly bought. In this sense Playboy changed the way 'soft-pornography' (become more respectfully 'adult entertainment'), can be publicly circulated.
This magazine was particularly successful from its origins to the early eighties, afterwards it began a long decline. It was published regularly till november 1987 (the final issue of this first series was the number 285). After 1987 there was a further attempt to relaunch the title but the publication ceased again in 1994. Passed into the hands of the media group of Michel Birnbaum, after a transient stimulus, it became a pornographic magazine with episodic dissemination. Currently it is published every three months.
First series (1963–1987)
This magazine successful recipe was combining content with depth articles and beautiful naked women, featuring many B-List but also celebrities, often prominent French actresses, such as Brigitte BardotBrigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
, Mireille Darc
Mireille Darc
Mireille Darc is a French model and actress. She was Alain Delon's longtime co-star and companion. She appeared as a lead character in Jean-Luc Godard's 1967 film Week End...
, Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
or Marlène Jobert
Marlène Jobert
Marlène Jobert is a French actress, singer and author.Jobert was born in Algiers, Algeria , the daughter of Andrée and a father who flew for the French Air Force. She is a Pied-Noir of Jewish heritage. She came to Metropolitan France when aged 8...
.
It featured a monthly pin-up by Aslan. The first girl to pose on the cover was Valérie Lagrange (the number 1 appeared on 11/1/1963)) photographed by Francis Giacobetti, future director of the soft-core movie Emmanuelle 2
Emmanuelle 2
Emmanuelle 2 is a 1975 French softcore erotica movie directed by Francis Giacobetti, and starring Sylvia Kristel. The screenplay was written by Bob Elia and Francis Giacobetti, based on novel Emmanuelle: The Joys of a Woman by Emmanuelle Arsan...
.
The magazine hosted also a cartoon by Lauzier: Les Sextraordinaires Aventures de Zizi et Peter Panpan. Among the first collaborators are Jean-Louis Bory, René Chateau, Philippe Labro, Francis Dumoulin, Francis Giacobetti, Siné, Michel Mardore, Gilles Sandier and many others.
The magazine motto was Lui, le magazine de l'homme moderne (The Magazine of the Modern Man). In the beginning, it had also a mascot, a cat's head, similarly to the magazine Playboy Bunny, but it disappeared in the early 1970s.
Second series (1987–1994)
The second series was published by the Filipacchi group from 1987 to 1994. It has been published 69 numbers. Its editor was Stéphane de Rosnay in 1989, Brice Couturier 1990 to 1992.Initially, its specificity (compared to the first series) was that it was published in a two separate books, but from number 27, ""Lui"" returned to be a single book magazine with the new slogan "Le magazine de l'homme civilisé" (The Magazine of civilized man).
The cicrulation that was in early 1980 of 350000 copies dropped to 70 000 copies in 1993. In early 1993, the magazine abandoned the monthly release and became bimonthly. The Filipacchi group stopped publication in June 1994.
Le Nouveau Lui (1995–1997)
The title was taken from 1995 to 1997 (14 issues) and named Le Nouveau Lui by Michel Birnbaum, a radiotherapist physician turned publisher as founder and owner of the holding company Altinea, specialized in magazines about vintage cars.. The goal was to return to the basics (and success) of the primitive publication, intending a more glamour-oriented publication. The coverage of the first issue was dedicated to Miss Agnes. The magazine had again a montly issue and the design of the title was upgraded. In this series, for the first time, the cover picture was devoted to one man alone, without accompanying female model. This attempt to revive the magazine failed. The final issue was published in February 1997 with Eva HerzigováEva Herzigová
Eva Herzigová is a Czech model and actress.-Early life and career:Herzigová was born in Litvínov, Czechoslovakia . She began her modeling career after winning a modeling beauty contest in Prague in 1989, at the age of sixteen. After arriving in Paris, her popularity increased...
as cover girl.
Lui pornographic magazine (2001 – )
The current magazine published quarterly since 2001 has a pornographic nature. Its slogan is "L'officiel de la photo de charme" or (as now on the online edition) "Le charme des filles d'aujourd hui." It is published by the company 1633 whose president and sole shareholder is Michael Birnbaum. Patrick Guérinet was the managing editor until 2010, when substituted by Francis Guillebon in July.National editions
- French edition (1963 - )
- German edition (1977–1992)
- Italian edition (1970 - 1986?)
- Spanish edition (1977 - 1978?)
- Brazilian edition (1973?)
- American edition (1972 - ) as OuiOui (magazine)Oui is a men's adult pornographic magazine published in the USA and featuring explicit nude photographs of models, with full page pin-ups, centerfolds, interviews and other articles, and cartoons.- Playboy years :...
External links
- on-line magazine lui.fr (Attention: Site includes pornographicPornographyPornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
content.)