Since the opening of the site in June 2022, Philippe Caubère has been the narrator of the audio guide which punctuates the passage of visitors.
But not for long.
The management of the replica of the Cosquer prehistoric cave in Marseille intends to replace the actor, indicted for rape and sexual assault on minors
“Cosquer is asking for quotes and looking for a voice,”
the cave's communications service told AFP, confirming information from France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
There is no timeline yet for this change to take effect.
But a female voice would be preferred.
On Friday, the site director, Frédéric Prades, told AFP
“to think about an acceptable alternative in terms of deadlines and operational implementation in order to best adapt to the situation and life on the site”.
The replica of the Cosquer cave, a vast underwater cavern located in the Calanques natural park near Marseille and decorated with masterpieces of prehistoric art, has welcomed more than a million visitors since its opening in June 2022. It is located next to another emblematic cultural place in France's second city, the Mucem, Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations.
The visit to the replica takes place in small wagons and lasts 35 minutes, during which the commentary is heard using an audio guide.
Read alsoIn Marseille, in the heart of the reconstructed Cosquer cave
Hecatomb in the 7th French art
Figure of French theater and star of Yves Robert's adaptation
La Gloire de mon père
by Marcel Pagnol, Philippe Caubère, 73, was indicted on Thursday for sexual assault, rape and corruption of a minor over 15 years old, for alleged acts against three minors, and placed under judicial supervision.
Without talking about rape, the director expressed regret about the intimate relationship he had for a few months in 2012 with a 16-year-old girl.
“
The significant age difference between her and me should have led me not to enter into such a relationship
,” he admitted.
Six years after the birth of the #MeToo movement in Hollywood, French cinema has unlocked its Pandora's box.
The time to listen seems to have arrived.
In recent weeks, several major figures in the French 7th art have been the subject of accusations.
Gérard Depardieu, indicted for rape since the end of 2020, was pilloried for old sequences filmed in North Korea, broadcast by the France 2 magazine Complément
d'investigation
in December, where he multiplies misogynistic and insulting remarks in addressed to women.
The other big shock came from Judith Godrèche.
The actress filed a rape complaint against directors Benoit Jacquot and Jacques Doillon.
Also read: Hélène Frappat: “Judith Godrèche never gave her consent and raises an essential question that is too rarely addressed, that of disgust”
Both directors rejected his accusations.
Jacques Doillon was also implicated by the actresses Isild Le Besco and Anna Mouglalis.
The first, revealed by Benoit Jacquot's
Sade
, claims to have been kicked out of a shoot after having "refused to sleep with him" and the second says she was "kissed by force" before pushing him away.