The Face of the New Wave and the Body of Popular Cinema
Belmondo trained as a stage actor and dreamed of joining the Comédie Française, France’s prestigious national theatre troupe. Instead, and despite a long list of commercial action films to his name, he’ll remain forever in film history the emblematic figure of the French New Wave thanks to Jean-Luc Godard who saw in him a representation of modern masculinity perfectly suited for a new, rebellious form of cinema.
In this illustrated talk, we will survey the career of the legendary actor, aptly described by Ginette Vincendeau as “the face of the New Wave and the body of popular cinema”.
Martine Pierquin has taught French cinema at Edinburgh and Stirling universities. She is a curator for French Film Festival UK’s short film programme.