#ThrowbackThursday – 17 August
What words spring to mind when you think of a Frenchman being arrested for throwing a party, “Life of Brian”, and Monica Lewinsky? Probably this: “Ooh, scandalous!”
On that note, take an in-depth look at these three events that went down in history on 17 August:
1661 – Fouquet’s Fête Faux Pas
Ever been in a situation when you were arrested for throwing a party? Perhaps the neighbours got fed up with you and your guests for making too much noise, or things got way out of hand, resulting in the cops shutting it down and you ending up in handcuffs.
Nicolas Fouquet was one such man who was arrested, all because he threw a house-warming party for himself on this day 362 years ago.
You see, Fouquet was the Superintendent of Finances in France at the time of his arrest. He was extremely wealthy, although questions and rumours arose regarding his source of wealth. King Louis XIV was also curious about this particular matter – fed by reports by statesman Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the king came to believe that the Superintendent was secretly pocketing money from the royal treasury and implementing financial schemes designed to benefit no one else but himself.
Such suspicions were confirmed on 17 August 1661 when Louis XIV was invited to attend a luxurious fête at Fouquet’s new château, Vaux-le-Vicomte: it was a grand creation, featuring Baroque-style architecture and gloriously designed gardens stretching as far as 1 235 acres. Upon arrival, the king and 6 000 other guests were treated to all sorts of goodies: food served on gold and silver plates; gifts in the form of thoroughbred horses for the gentlemen and diamond brooches for the ladies; entertainment in the form of a ballet, a play and some light shows; and a fireworks display in the gardens.
All in all, Fouquet’s extravagant party at Vaux-le-Vicomte proved to Louis XIV that his Superintendent was skimming money, and it simply wouldn’t do for him to flaunt it.
Fouquet was formally arrested one month later and charged with embezzlement. The trial lasted for three years. Although the former Superintendent garnered much sympathy from the public and was initially sentenced with banishment, Louis XIV overturned the ruling. As a result, Fouquet was sentenced to life imprisonment – he died in prison in 1680 at the age 65.
1979 – “The Foulest-Spoken Biblical Epic Ever” Premieres in USA
When one thinks about “Monty Python’s Life of Brian”, one may think it’s an example of classic British comedy … or blasphemous nonsense, depending on one’s sense of humour.
Written by the Monty Python comedy troupe, funded by ex-Beatles member George Harrison’s production company, and directed by member Terry Jones, “Life of Brian” tells the story of Brian Cohen (played by Graham Chapman), a hapless Jewish man whose life takes a crazy turn for the worse when he’s mistaken for the Messiah (who, coincidentally, happens to be his neighbour and shares the same birthday as him).
The film made its premiere in US theatres on 17 August 1979, with many American film critics lauding it for its hilarity, political satire and its purposeful lack of taste.
Observe this review from Vincent Canby of “The New York Times”: “[The film]” succeeds in sending up not only movies like ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ and ‘King of Kings’, but also a lot of the false piety attached to the source material. It is the foulest-spoken biblical epic ever made, as well as the best-humoured – a non-stop orgy of assaults, not on anyone’s virtue, but on the funny bone.
“It makes no difference that some of the routines fall flat because there are always others coming along immediately after that succeed.”
Naturally, “Life of Brian” faced a wave of controversy for its depiction (or sending up) of religious themes, to the point it was banned in several European countries. Nowadays, the flick is regarded as one of the greatest comedies of all time!
1998 – Unlocking Lewinskygate
“Indeed, I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. In fact, it was wrong. It constituted a critical lapse in judgement and a personal failure on my part for which I am solely and completely responsible.”
These are the words of US President Bill Clinton, who on 17 August 1998 publicly admitted to having an affair with a young White House intern, Monica Lewinsky.
Lewinsky was 22-years-old when she went to work as an unpaid intern at the White House in 1995. In November that year, a sexual relationship bloomed between her and Clinton, who was then 49-years-old and married to Hillary Clinton. It involved as many as nine passionate encounters and hundreds of amorous letters from Lewinsky to the president until March 1997.
“Oh Linda, I don’t know what I am going to do,” the intern confided to her friend, Linda Tripp, in a letter after the affair dissolved. “I just don’t understand what went wrong, what happened? How could he do this to me? Why did he keep up contact with me for so long and now nothing, now when we could be together?”
As Lewinsky opened up more about her relationship with Clinton, Tripp – who claimed to be acting out of patriotic duty – began recording their conversations and calls, and in January 1998, she handed these tapes over to the US Office of Independent Counsel.
This opened the floodgates to what is now called the “Clinton-Lewinsky scandal” (among other names, including “Lewinskygate”). Clinton, who was now faced with impeachment, infamously denied having “sexual relations with that woman” in a televised speech, despite the fact that many White House aides, supervisors and employees suspected that the two were spending too much time together, to the point they sent “that woman” Lewinsky to work at the Pentagon.
Ultimately, Clinton admitted to their affair when he testified before the Office of Independent Counsel and the grand jury on 17 August; later that evening, he made the same admission via a televised speech to the nation.
“I know that my public comments and my silence about this matter gave a false impression. I misled people, including even my wife. I deeply regret that,” he said. “This [ordeal] has gone on too long, cost too much and hurt too many innocent people.
“Now, this matter is between me, the two people I love most – my wife and our daughter – and our God. I must put it right, and I am prepared to do whatever it takes to do so.”
In the aftermath, Clinton finished his second term in office in January 2001, and he remains married to Hillary to this day. Lewinsky became somewhat of a pop culture icon and dabbled in multiple ventures including handbag design, working as a media correspondent, and touring the chat show circuit in the mid-200s. She is now a staunch advocate for anti-cyberbullying.
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