'Jean-Paul Belmondo was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, the son of the sculptor Paul Belmondo. He performed poorly at school but developed a passion for boxing and football. By the time he reached his twenties, Belmondo had decided to pursue a career in acting. After a number of attempts, he was enrolled at the Paris Conservatory to study drama, although his tutors were not optimistic about his prospects.
'After graduating, he began his professional career on stage and spent the first half of the 1950s working in the theatre. He made his film debut in 1956 and appeared in several minor films over the next years, most notably Les Copains du Dimanche (1957) and his first starring role, alongside another up-and-coming new actor named Alain Delon, in Sois Belle et Tais-Toi (1957)
'The coming of the French New Wave in 1959 finally brought Belmondo real stardom. In that year he appeared first in Claude Chabrol’s A Double Tour, which received little notice. It was his next performance, however, as the anti-hero Michel Poiccard in Jean-Luc Godard’s A Bout de Souffle, whichmade him an international star. Defiant, reckless, witty and amoral, Belmondo’s Poiccard was the perfect protagonist for Godard’s revolutionary break with the past. The success of the film even resulted in a wave of “Belmondism” in the hipper circles of Paris, with young men modelling themselves on him.
'Belmondo revealed unexpected versatility in his next roles, acting opposite Sophia Loren in Vittorio De Sica’s Two Women (1960) and as the enigmatic priest in Jean-Pierre Melville’s World War II drama Leon Morin, Petre (1961). He worked with Godard again for the musical comedy A Woman is a Woman (1961), and with Melville on the film noir/gangster homage Le Doulos (1963).
'In Pierrot le Fou (1965), his next collaboration with Godard, Belmondo plays a writer who leaves behind his unhappy life and sets off on a crazy road trip with the babysitter played by Anna Karina. Together they battle gunrunners, gas station attendants, and American tourists in a story that mixes high and pop culture with brilliant artistry. Standing in for Godard, as a man who cannot choose between art and life, Belmondo inhabits his character effortlessly.
'Although he had become synonymous at this stage of his career with the films of the New Wave directors, Belmondo also played more mainstream roles in films such as the period swashbuckler Cartouche (1962), the romantic comedy La Chasse a L’Homme (1964) and Philippe De Broca’s action comedy L’Homme de Rio (1964). Capitalising on his increasing drawing power, he founded his own production company called Cerito to produce many of his films.
'Drawing on his earlier athletic prowess, Belmondo became renowned for doing his own stunts as well as for his charming screen presence in such movies as the hit Les Tribulations d’un Chinois en Chine (1965), the comic caper The Brain (1968), and the second film with Delon, Borsalino (1970). At the same time, Belmondo appeared in all-star international productions such as Rene Clement’s all-star World War II epic Is Paris Burning? (1966), and the James Bond spoof Casino Royale (1967).
'He continued his association with the Nouvelle Vague directors, starring in Francois Truffaut’s romantic drama Mississippi Mermaid (1969) opposite Catherine Deneuve, Louis Malle’s crime comedy Le Voleur (1967), Claude Chabrol’s black comedy Docteur Popaul (1972), and Alain Resnais ambitious biopic of a famous speculator and con man from the 1930s, Stavisky (1974).
The failure of this last film however, appears to have dissuaded Belmondo from working with the more experimental New Wave filmmakers, and, from this time forward, he began appearing almost exclusively in more commercially oriented features. Among them L’Incorrigible (1975), directed by de Broca, and the crime thrillers Peur Sur la Ville (1975) and L’Alpagueur (1976).
'In 1978 Belmondo began a profitable collaboration with director Georges Lautner on the hit comedy thriller Flic ou Voyou. They continued their successful run with Le Guignolo (1979), Le Professionnel (1981), the comedy Joyeuses Paques! (1984), and the mystery L’Inconnu dans la Maison (1992).
'In 1987, Belmondo returned to the stage for the first time since 1959 and divided his efforts between theatre and film from then on. Though he continued his genre work in the 1990s with the romantic comedy Desire (1996) and his third co-starring turn with Delon in Patrice Leconte’s action comedy 1 Chance Sur 2 (1998), Belmondo also branched out creatively as part of the ensemble in Agnes Varda’s homage to international cinema Les Cents et une Nuits de Simon Cinema (1995) and as the Jean Valjean figure in Claude Lelouch’s 20th century reworking of Les Miserables (1995).
'Well regarded in the French film world as well as by movie audiences throughout his career, Belmondo was elected president of the French actor’s union in 1963, and was awarded a Cesar for his performance in Lelouch’s romance Itineraire d’un Enfant Gate (1988). He has also been made a Chevalier of the Ordre National du Merite and a Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur. In 2001, he suffered a stroke and was absent from stage and screen until his acclaimed comeback performance in Un Homme et Son Chien (2008).'-- New Wave Film
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Stills
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Further
Jean-Paul Belmondo @ IMDb
Jean-Paul Belmondo Fansite
Video: 'C'est quoi Jean-Paul Belmondo ?'
'Jean-Paul Belmondo in saga of love, death threats and lap-dancing clubs'
'Jean-Paul Belmondo : «C'est la dernière fois que je parle»'
J-PB @ Films de France
J-PB page @ Facebook
'Jean-Paul Belmondo : "Avec Alain Delon, on se disputait souvent"'
Poem: 'Jean-Paul Belmondo',
BY VALZHYNA MORT
'Lelouch : "Jean-Paul Belmondo a inventé Godard"'
J-PB @ The Criterion Collection
'Rafae Nadal is in final stop of career: Jean-Paul Belmondo'
Video: 'comment Jean-Paul Belmondo est devenu une icône'
'Jean-Paul Belmondo, 82 printemps en 25 photos culte'
'Jean-Paul Belmondo : "Le dernier des classiques"'
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Extras
Jean-Paul Belmondo - Interview (1959)
Jean-Paul Belmondo 1961 interview
Epreuve de casting (1964)
Jean Paul Belmondo chez Monsieur Cinéma en 1975
Vivement Dimanche: Jean-Paul Belmondo (2008)
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French Interview
Parmi ces dix films, lequel s'est imposé le premier ?
JEAN-PAUL BELMONDO. « A bout de souffle ». C'est le premier film qui m'a apporté la gloire. Je n'imaginais pas que ce serait un succès. Et Jean Seberg était comme moi. On tournait sans lumières, sans rien. Mais le texte était bon. A la fin, Seberg m'a dit : « Il ne sortira pas ce film. »
Ça ne vous dérangeait pas de mourir à la fin ?
Non, j'étais d'accord sur tout. Godard m'avait dit : « C'est un type qui rencontre une fille et, à la fin, il sera peut-être mort ou pas. » Godard a toujours été gentil avec moi. Et je faisais ce qu'il demandait. J'ai même chanté dans « Pierrot le Fou ».
Vous vous amusiez beaucoup sur les tournages ?
Oui, notre grand jeu, complètement idiot, c'était de détruire les chambres d'hôtel. On jetait tous les meubles par les fenêtres, j'espère qu'on n'a blessé personne...
Vous aviez un comportement de rock star ?
Oui... Ça m'a passé aujourd'hui, heureusement.
Avec Gabin, sur le tournage d'« Un singe en hiver », comment était l'ambiance ?
Au tout début, un peu fraîche. On est allés boire un café et au moment de régler l'addition, j'ai voulu payer. Il m'a dit : « Non, chacun sa part ! » J'ai pensé : c'est mal parti. Après, ça a été un amour. Dans les scènes d'ivresse, on n'était jamais saoul. Mais le soir, on faisait la java ensemble, on buvait des coups de whisky. Il me racontait sa vie, sa carrière, et moi ça m'intéressait énormément. Et puis on parlait foot, boxe, vélo. Il arrivait le lendemain matin, il disait : « J'ai mal au crâne, alors un jambon et une salade. » C'était vraiment joyeux.
On est frappé de revoir ces cascades d'un danger extrême que vous réalisiez vous-même ! Vous étiez un vrai casse-cou...
Quand j'avais 6 ans, je me pendais déjà à l'escalier du cinquième étage et je marchais sur les toits. Ça me plaisait beaucoup, mais ma mère était effarée. Le cascadeur Gilles Delamare m'a conseillé de faire moi-même les premières cascades dans « l'Homme de Rio ». Je dois dire que, pendu à ce câble entre deux immeubles de Brasilia, j'avais un peu peur. Il m'a guidé pour ne pas tomber.
Vous aviez la baraka pour ne pas vous blesser davantage...
Je n'ai jamais pensé à la mort. Une fois, sur une chute de voiture, j'ai eu la jambe cassée — six mois dans le plâtre — et un corset aux vertèbres. Mais j'avais les muscles pour ça, et je faisais beaucoup de muscu pour m'entretenir. Je me souviens d'un vol pour New York en Concorde. Soudain, au-dessus de l'Atlantique, un moteur tombe en panne, puis un deuxième. Les hôtesses servent à boire à tout le monde, car les gens commencent à s'affoler. Un type se lève et se jette sur moi : « Faites quelque chose monsieur Belmondo. » Qu'est-ce que je pouvais faire ? (Rires). Moi, je pensais pas qu'on tomberait, mais les passagers, si. Finalement, l'avion a atterri sans dommages.
En tant qu'ancien boxeur, vous aimiez bien la castagne dans la vie aussi ?
Oui, mais c'était il y a des années. Les coups de poing, c'était bon. On se tapait dessus, et après on buvait un coup ensemble. Maintenant, c'est plus ça du tout, les types sortent un couteau ou une arme tout de suite.
Vous avez toujours été un grand séducteur...
C'est vrai que j'ai tenu dans mes bras des femmes magnifiques... Lollobrigida, Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale. Avec Ursula Andress, on est restés plusieurs années ensemble. Mais on m'a fait une réputation assez exagérée de grand séducteur.
Des femmes devaient vous attendre chaque soir à votre hôtel...
Ah oui, ça. C'était bien (rires). C'était une époque pleine d'insouciance. On partait au bout du monde pour tourner. Hongkong, le Népal, les Indes. A Katmandou, pour « les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine », les gens m'avaient presque vénéré en me voyant m'agripper en l'air à une corde. Ils n'avaient jamais vu ça.
« Borsalino » ne figure pas dans votre coffret. Pour quelle raison ?
Pour des questions de droits. J'aurais aimé qu'il y soit. Pour Alain Delon. Je l'ai toujours aimé. A l'époque, on était les deux acteurs qui marchaient, alors il fallait qu'on se dispute. On s'est disputés un petit peu, mais trois fois rien. Il a toujours été là dans les moments difficiles.
Il vous arrive de porter un regard en arrière sur votre vie...
Non, pas tellement, il faut vivre avec son temps. Je suis toujours surpris et très content que les gens m'arrêtent pour des autographes. Je les aime tellement, les gens.
Vous reverra-t-on au cinéma ?
Faudrait trouver un drôle de personnage, à qui il manque l'usage d'un bras et qui a des difficultés avec une jambe. Peut-être le rôle d'un type qui rentre de la guerre. Moi, je suis comme tous les acteurs, je n'ai jamais fini. Si on me propose un rôle qui me plaît, je le ferai.
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16 of Jean-Paul Belmondo's 90 films
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Claude Chabrol À double tour (1959)
'A double tour, Claude Chabrol's third film, is his debut psychological thriller, a genre he subsequently transformed in films like Les Bonnes Femmes and L'Enfer. Through (expert use of flashbacks and vignettes - NY Times) Chabrol creates a lurid and disturbing melodrama of infidelity, obsession and murder at a vineyard in rural Provence. Vintner Henri Marcoux (Jacques Dacqmine) brazenly carries on an affair with a beautiful young neighbor (Antonella Lualdi) right under the nose of his bitter wife Thérèse (Madeleine Robinson). Henri's gorgeous daughter has herself caught the eye of a Hungarian ne'er do well (Jean-Paul Belmondo), while Henri's voyeur son begins to take liberties with his father's mistress. As the family's passions ripen, the stage is set for tragedy. Demonstrating (a flair for the camera and characterization - NY Times) Chabrol leads his gifted cast through (fine performances - NY Times). Italo-Greek ingénue Antonella Lualdi is a (dark, striking beauty who could easily turn a man's head - NY Times), and storied French stage actress Madeleine Robinson (Orson Welles' The Trial) received the Best Actress prize at the 1959 Venice Film Festival for her role. Belmondo is magnetic in his final part before Breathless (in which he used his character's name from A double tour as an alias) catapulted him to international stardom. Released in the US as Leda in 1961, Variety called A double tour a (sleek whodunit,) with (good camera work and tricky direction.) Viewed today, A double tour's swooping camera and character eccentricity echo both Alfred Hitchcock's most personal and obsessive films and Douglas Sirk's colorful 1950s melodramas.'-- collaged
Excerpt
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Jean-Luc Godard Breathless (1960)
'The opening of Breathless is “unprecedented,” in that we never learn what route brought Michel Poiccard to the Vieux Port of Marseille, where he surveys the future from the very edge of France. This first shot strikes a match to touch off an oil fire that will race through the film’s incidents and images, indeed through the New Wave altogether. A girlie tabloid filling the screen slips down to reveal the face of Jean-Paul Belmondo, cigarette dangling from his lips, as he looks out from under his rakishly cocked hat. His head swivels, and he rubs those lips with his thumb; he is ready for action. At a signal from a female accomplice, he hot-wires a big Oldsmobile just parked by an American military man touring with his wife. Abandoning the girl, who begs to be taken along, Poiccard drives off, exhaling in the flush of freedom, “Maintenant je fonce, Alphonse!” We can feel Godard’s own outlaw freedom in this sequence, carjacking a Hollywood genre and putting it into drive. The film lurches forward as he shifts up with wild shot changes; it charges ahead (il fonce) on bursts of music and sound effects, and on Belmondo’s spontaneous speeches, directed right to the camera, to us. Character and auteur will gun down the French authorities when stopped for questioning. From Marseille, Poiccard makes his way to Paris, to the Cathedral of Notre Dame and the Latin Quarter, then to the Champs-Élysées and its movie theaters (right under the offices of Cahiers du cinéma), where he shares the street with the crowds cheering Charles de Gaulle, head of the brand-new Fifth Republic. He will wind up in Montparnasse, on the rue Campagne-Première, the legendary street where Kiki hung out, as did Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Francis Picabia, and Yves Klein. Breathless brings anarchy into the heart of Paris.'-- Dudley Andrew
Excerpt
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Peter Brook Moderato cantabile (1960)
'One of those movies that mesmerizes through its restraint, this is set in a dreary coastal small town—familiar territory for French cinema—where Anne Desbarèdes (Moreau) is the beautiful, bored wife of the principal local employer (Deschamps); “No,” she says at one point, summarizing not just the starkness of the place but her own life there, “summer never comes in this region. It’s always windy.” One afternoon she’s watching her young son Pierre (Haudepin) take his piano lesson from the elderly Miss Giraud (Regis) when his faltering rendition of Anton Diabelli’s Sonatina in F (op 168 #1, first movement indicated as moderato cantabile) is interrupted by a long, uncanny howl of agony. Investigating, Anne and Pierre discover that a man (Valeric) has murdered his lover in a nearby bar, the Café de la Gironde, a place that seems normally a territory open only to men and whores. Anne catches the eye of one of the bar’s regulars, Chauvin (Belmondo), who happens also to be one of her husband’s countless employees. She asks him if he knows the backstory of the murder, and he tells her he’ll do his best to find out. Although the bar’s owner (de Boysson) tells him that no one knows anything about the matter, Chauvin invents details to impart to Anne: “Maybe he wanted to kill her very early on, from the moment he first saw her.”'-- Noirish
Excerpt
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Jean-Luc Godard Une femme est une femme (1961)
'Une Femme Est Une Femme– Jean-Luc Godard's first venture in colour – perfectly captures the spirit of French New Wave cinema. The movement, pioneered in the late 50s and early 60s, rejected popular cinematic formats, seeking out new and alternative subject matters; it frequently touched upon social issues, while embracing a youthful spirit and experimental approach to form. Godard's 1961 masterpiece features his long-term muse, a playful Anna Karina, whom he married during the film's production. The story focuses on the relationship between Karina's character Angéla, a strong willed exotic dancer who is desperate for a child, and her unwilling lover Émile, who isn't so keen on the idea. Throughout the film, Angela shines through as a woman of great conviction and courage in what is a remarkable study of female independence in 1960s France. Here we look at some of her best moments, and what we can learn from them.'-- AnOther Magazine
the entire film
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Jean-Pierre Melville Léon Morin, Priest (1961)
'Jean-Paul Belmondo delivers a subtly sensual performance in the hot-under-the-collar Léon Morin, Priest (Léon Morin, prêtre), directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. The French superstar plays a devoted man of the cloth who is desired by all the women of a small village in Nazi-occupied France. He finds himself most drawn to a sexually frustrated widow—played by Emmanuelle Riva—a religious skeptic whose relationship with her confessor turns into a confrontation with both God and her own repressed desire. A triumph of mood, setting, and innuendo, Léon Morin, Priest is an irreverent pleasure from one of French cinema’s towering virtuosos.'-- The Criterion Collection
Trailer
JEAN-PAUL BELMONDO ON "LEON MORIN, PRIEST"
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Jean-Pierre Melville Le doulos (1962)
'This 1962 film, Melville’s seventh feature, was his first true foray into the post–film noir, so-called Série noire crime genre in which he would subsequently forge some of his most celebrated works: Le samouraï, Le cercle rouge, and Le deuxième souffle. Yes, Melville’s 1956 Bob le flambeur told the tale (eventually!) of a casino heist, and his 1959 Deux hommes dans Manhattan has its eponymous two men undertake a missing-persons case. But both films are discursive, rambling affairs, often concentrating on the charms of their respective settings (the fairy-tale sleaze of Bob’s Montmartre/ Pigalle, the Broadway bright lights of Deux hommes), and ending things reasonably well for their heroes (Bob le flambeur, in particular, is one of the greatest shaggy-dog stories ever put on film). In Le doulos, Melville makes his genre move with a vengeance; for all its atmospheric touches, it has a relentless forward movement unprecedented in any of his prior films. Which is at least slightly paradoxical, as all of Le doulos’ characters are living in the past.'-- Glenn Kenny
Trailer
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Jean-Pierre Melville L'aîné des Ferchaux (1963)
'A venerable banker from Paris leaves for America when he discovers there will be an investigation into his questionable business deals. Accompanied by his faithful protégé Michel (Jean-Paul Belmondo), the pair travels to New York by plane and eventually to New Orleans by car. Michel plans to make off with the boss's money, but feelings of loyalty for the old man prevent him from carrying out his planned heist.'-- Dan Pavlides, Rovi
Excerpt
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Marcel Ophüls Peau de banane (film)
'Peau de banane is only watchable thanks to its top-notch cast, but they cannot make it unforgettable. There is simply no rhythm in the plot, stuff happens and there never is a consistent effort to come up with a real twist so it is all boringly linear. The worst is that with this cast you hope something will eventually happen, so you seat the whole movie through and unfortunately this only helps to prove it is entirely devoid of imagination, snappy situations or even finely chiselled characters. I would say crook comedy is basically an easy genre just like heist movies, yet you have to really try to make it interesting. It cannot be the story of a sting only with minor bumps. I can't even think of one great scene - let alone a brilliant one. So this movie fully deserves to have fallen into oblivion.'-- vostf
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Jean-Luc Godard Pierrot le Fou (1965)
'In his earlier films, Godard had relied on preexisting frameworks to guide his spontaneous invention, whether Hollywood genres (as in Breathless, Band of Outsiders, and Alphaville) or the intellectual modernism of Brecht or Barthes (as in Vivre sa vie and A Married Woman). But by the time he started shooting Pierrot le fou, the film noir conventions underlying it no longer inspired him, and his theoretical references were in a state of flux due to his political anger as the Vietnam War escalated. The result of Godard’s personal, cinematic, and intellectual turmoil was an immediate creation that reached, even for Godard, new heights of spontaneity and lightning invention—and this was largely an effort to compensate for his inability to be methodical even by the casual terms of his own practiced methods. Shortly after completing the film, he told Cahiers du cinéma: “In my other films, when I had a problem, I asked myself what Hitchcock would have done in my place. While making Pierrot, I had the impression that he wouldn’t have known how to answer, other than ‘Work it out for yourself.’” Godard had had trouble working it out. Classic Hollywood forms couldn’t sustain him as they had in his previous film, Alphaville, which depended heavily on the conventions of the secret-agent and science-fiction genres. Not only was his absorption of the entire classical cinema of no help to him, but also his own experience as a filmmaker was of little use. He said that, in making Pierrot le fou, he felt as if he were making his “first film”; he had lost his North Star of cinematic navigation, and was out at sea.'-- Richard Brody
Trailer
Excerpt
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Rene Clement Is Paris Burning? (1966)
'Hollywood has long been skillful in turning good books into bad movies, but Is Paris Burning is an unfortunate perversion of that well-worn theme--it takes a pretentious chunk of bad journalism and turns it into an even worse film. One is nearly awestruck at the achievement, which is perfectly fine since the only other reactions the film could possibly produce are boredom and fury at having paid the whopping three dollar admission. Paris is so interminably long, so badly acted, so deliciously incoherent that it could very well be the flop of the year, nay, the decade. The acting is a monument to awkwardness. Only Jean Paul Belmondo seems to see the ludicrous futility in it all--he looks as if he were going to wink at any moment.'-- The Harvard Crimson
Excerpt
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Louis Malle Le voleur (1967)
'Louis Malle based loosely his movie on the book by Georges Darien, novelist committed against parliamentarism, clericalism, militarism, colonialism, etc. The filmmaker himself noted the similarities between himself and Georges Randal: same social background, same revolt against the conservative bourgeoisie, same desire to rupture and destruction. The Thief, overall, is not only an adventure film, it is also a reflection on power and money, as well as a satire of the French “bourgeoisie”.'-- Cine Club
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Francois Truffaut Mississippi Mermaid (1969)
'Mississippi Mermaid has the form of a preposterous romantic melodrama, but it is so full of lovely, complex things - of unannounced emotions, of ideas, of the memories of other movies (Truffaut's, as well as of those of two of his father-figures, Renoir and Hitchcock) - that it defies easy definition and blithely triumphs over what initially appears to be structural schizophrenia. This bewitching, circuitous love story starring Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Belmondo at their most dazzling. It is the creation of a superior moviemaker who works eccentrically in the classical tradition.'-- Vincent Canby
Excerpt
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Jacques Deray Borsalino (1970)
'Jean Paul Belmondo later sued Delon over the matter of billing - the words "an Alain Delon Production" appeared before Belmondo's name in the credits, resulting in Belmondo taking Delon to court. Delon said when promoting the film in the US: "We are still what you in America call pals or buddies. But we are not friends. There is a difference. He was my guest in the film but still he complained. I like him as an actor but as a person, he's a bit different. I think his reaction was a stupid reaction... almost like a female reaction. But I don't want to talk about him anymore." Delon's associate producer, Pierre Caro, later claimed at the same time: "If you ask me, I think Belmondo was afraid from the first to make a picture with Alain. He demanded the same number of close ups. Alain had to cancel a lot of his best scenes because they made him look better than Belmondo. My own feeling is that they will never work together again. Alain says they will but he lies." Director Jacques Deray reflected, "All through production Delon was impeccable, never interfered. But when the film was completed Delon the producer stepped in and took it over."'-- collaged
the entire film
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Alain Resnais Stavisky... (1974)
'Alain Resnais'Stavisky shares only its brilliance with his other work. His films have never had a consistent visual style, if only because he begins with such dissimilar material and then tries to find a look for it that's appropriate. But even so, we'd hardly anticipate this elegant, sparkling period piece from the director of Hiroshima Mon Amour and La Guerre Est Finie. Resnais sets his film in the France of the early 1930s, when a shaky economy is being held together by the lies and bluffs of the ruling class. One of the greatest of the manipulating financiers, and certainly the most fascinating, is Alexandre Stavisky, the emigre son of a Russian Jewish dentist, who's parlayed his personal charm and confidence schemes into a vast stock swindle. To play Stavisky, Renais chose Jean-Paul Belmondo, and it's perfect casting. There's something in Belmondo's screen personality that fundamentally suggests the con man. It was there in the jauntiness of his first movie, Breathless, and in Cartouche, a movie totally unlike this one except for Belmondo's cocky bravado in the face of certain defeat Belmondo has grown and become more subtle in 15 years, and in Stavisky, he gives us his most complex and probably his best performance.'-- Roger Ebert
Trailer
Interview de Jean-Paul Belmondo 1974 sur le film Stavisky
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Agnes Varda One Hundred and One Nights (1995)
'One Hundred and One Nights was made in the not insignificant year of 1995, to mark the centenary of cinema, and the film celebrates the art form in its own peculiar narrative – our central character is Monsieur Cinema (Michel Piccoli), a centenarian in a mansion losing his memory, who wants to relive cinema while also being a very obviously allegoric personification of cinema itself, assuming the look of characters as varied as Nosferatu and Norma Desmond. He hires a young cinephile (Julie Gayet) to come each evening (“between the hours of 5 and 7”, a cheeky reference to Varda’s own landmark film, Cleo from 5 to 7) to come and remind him of films past – describing the legendary opening shot of Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil, for example. In between he is visited by a parade of legendary film stars who stop and talk, some as themselves, some as characters, in what becomes a showcase revolving door for a who’s who of post-war European cinema. In addition to Piccoli and Mastroianni with the meatiest parts, we are joined by Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Gerard Depardieu, Jeanne Moreau in addition to Robert De Niro and blink-and-you’ll-miss cameos from Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford, amongst many others. Some are instantly recognisable, others less so (Belmondo did not age as gracefully as come of his colleagues) as they swap stories, relive moments. It’s flimsy and paper-thin as a gimmick, but too enjoyable and luminescent in its star power, while never taking the film too seriously, with the actors addressing the camera continuously and going in and out of character – Piccoli, not only is Monsieur Cinema, but himself; he takes his wig off with Marcello as they compare their respective bath scenes in both Contempt and 8½.'-- 4:3
the entire film (dubbed into Russian)
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Bertrand Blier Les acteurs (2000)
'Les Acteurs is the absurd story of Jean-Pierre Marielle desperately waiting for a cup of hot water, the story of a conspiracy against actors, the story of aging actors whose careers are slowly less active than they used to be, but a stunning tribute to French actors and their cinema. Supported by a solid reflection about cinema and acting (the fourth wall, the hidden cameras, to play or not to play), the story of this film in which most of those famous actors play their own role (not to be mixed up with living their life in front of the camera - the film is not voyeur) is quite vague, and follows the actors in series of episodes which make the film quite amusing. As André Dussolier quits the film and leaves Josiane Balasko to play his part (great actress, she's hilariously serious especially when, in Dussolier's role, she bitches about herself), as actors run in each other on the street, asking for autographs, as fights and gossip happen, we recognize pastiche of other scenes in which each (or others) have played. Actually, for whoever does not know the actors (most of them being at least in their 50s) or does not know French Cinema, this movie has less interest, since most of the references will be missed, but it will still offer a good track of reflection on aging, on acting, on public life...'-- Oreste
Trailer
[Making of] 'Les Acteurs'
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p.s. Hey. ** Dóra Grőber, Hi, Dóra. Yeah, at least from observing my famous friend, it's true that people seem to think he's like a tourist attraction or like one-person parade or something. It's very interesting to see, but it's a total drag and a half for him. Von Trier is one of those topics that can get me railing angrily against him, which is no fun. I try to just accept that his films clash with me and my take on things personally, and that I'm the one with the problem. You write with a friend? That's really interesting. How does that work? I mean, do you sit together and write your own things silently, or do you collaborate on writings, or ... ? My weekend was fairly productive, not bad. I hope yours was bad's opposite. ** David Ehrenstein, Hi. 'Like Cattle Towards Glow' is playing in in LA in this festival called 'Sesion Continua: a porn theater in Echo Park'. It takes place from midnight on March 25th to midnight on March 26th. Here's a link. The film's showing time is not being announced because they want it to be the festival's big surprise, but if you want to see it and not sit there for 24 hours, I can sneak you the time that it's showing when the festival tells me, which will probably be close to that date. ** Tosh Berman, Good morning, T-ster! ** Scott Bradley, Whoa, hi, Scott! Thanks a lot for coming in here to talk to James. It's really nice to see you! ** Sypha, Thanks again so incredibly much, James! ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi, Ben. I'm really glad you're feeling better, man. And that's exciting about the post. Big gratitude to you for the brain space and the dedication, sir. ** Steevee, Hi, Steve. I caught your comment yesterday and read most of that article. Yeah, I find that strain of interpretation of Malick's work really lunkheaded and easy. Bresson's work gets that reading too sometimes. It's interesting when critics or whoever can't just relax with the metaphysical in films when it's sincerely and respectfully engaged with, which inevitably means when it's not specifically and traditionally identified or categorized, and then buy into biographical interpretations to make themselves comfortable. I guess I think that trying to compartmentalize Malick's search for the profound into a Christianity-based and bracketed search rather than allowing it to be a non-predetermined search that employs Christian motifs as a faulty introductory language -- and that problematizing of Christianity's approach is right there in the films themselves -- because the Church, etc. were his first introduction to the idea of otherworldliness is a rash approach. I mean ... sorry to bring a personal identification into it, but it doesn't seem wholly unlike when critics, etc. insist my work is about being gay rather than being what it is -- work partly about desire and sex that uses gay identifiers because they're the entrance I was given. Blah blah. I'm glad that I read the piece, and I thank you a lot for thinking of me in its regard. 'Foxy Brown' is wonderful! And she is amazing in it! I join Sypha in encouraging your towards 'Coffy' if you haven't seen it. No, I haven't done a Pam Grier Day! That's bizarre. I'll get on that right away. I did do a Jack Hill Day in which she is generously represented. Thanks! ** Alistair McCartney, Hey, Alistair! Hey buddy-boy! My weekend was a bit of alright. How was yours? Yeah, our film is finally starting to show in places other than France and Germany. We're trying to get it seen as far and wide as we can before the DVD drops. No, I'm not coming for the screening, sadly. The way they're showing it as a secret surprise means they don't need Zac and me there to do an intro or q&a or anything, and there's no money to bring us, so, no, sadly. Australia was lots of fun! We were mostly in Melbourne, but we did get to Tasmania for a couple of days, and that was cool, and our favorite part was when we did the Ocean Drive for a couple days, and that was really beautiful. But, yeah, it was swell, and now we want to go back with enough time to actually get to travel into the center and around. You're into a new book already! Awesome! Back on the horse and all that. Great, great! And I sure hope your agent will be wise enough to work with your novel if not even beg you to work with it. The French 'TMS' title. Hold on. I think my publisher told me. It's called 'Le Fol Marbre'. Whatever that means. I know the translator told me that, due to the French language's ups and downs, they had to lose the idea of 'swarming' in the title, which is sad. I'm very excited about it coming out here, yes! Too excited, I think. Take care, A. Big love, me. ** James, Hi. The American (and UK) DVD of 'Like Cattle Towards Glow' is tentatively scheduled to come out at the beginning of July, but the date's not set yet. ** Bill, Hi, Bill. It's just unfairness incarnate that you are forced to deal with those stressful weeks. Where's your MacArthur Grant? Where's mine? The world can be so wrongheaded. 'The Incident' ... I've never heard of it. Huh. At a glance, that series by your friend Jeremy looks really interesting, and I'll buckle down with the link's evidence lickety-split. Thank you! My back is almost normalized. Almost. Very grateful to my back for that. Happy Monday! ** MANCY, Hi, S! Talk soon indeed! ** Okay. I've done a Day dedicated to the wonderful Mr. Jean-Paul Belmondo. Have at it, please. Thank you very much. See you tomorrow.