Jacques Brel op de Marquisen (que la vie soit douce)

JACQUES BREL ON THE MARQUESAS ISLANDSOn a hilltop of Attuona, the capital of Hiva-Oa island, belonging to the Marquesas Islands, there is a tombstone which reads: Jacques Brel (1929-1978). A little farther, there is another stone: Paul Gaugin (1848-1903). Both locations offer awe-inspiring views of the Pacific. At night, the two men can be heard having a chat against the perpetual murmur of the ocean and a background of howling dogs and restless roosters. Years inexorably go by as a proof of their immortality. In May 1998, a camera crew accompanied Brels last love, Maddly Bamy, on a trip to Hiva-Oa, in search of traces and memories of the artists presence on the island.