As part of the French Film Festival, we will pay tribute to one of the greatest stars in the history of French cinema – Jean-Paul Belmondo. In his rich career that began about sixty years ago, Belmondo played hundreds of roles in film and theater, including a long line of hits. Belmondo won the Cesar Award for Lifetime Achievement, which was awarded to him by the French Film Academy at a ceremony held on February 24. When Belmondo was called to the stage to accept the award, the audience of actors and creators stood up and applauded him for many minutes.
Summary of the life of Jean-Paul Belmondo
Belmondo was born in a suburb of Paris in April 1933 to a father who had emigrated from Italy. As a child, he excelled in sports, practicing boxing and playing soccer. He also became interested in acting, which led him to study at the National Academy of Performing Arts in Paris. He began performing in theater in 1953, and in 1956 he starred in his first short film. He initially appeared in small roles, but soon received a series of prominent roles. In 1960, he participated in Vittorio De Sica’s “Two Women” alongside Sophia Loren in a role for which she won an Oscar, and Jean-Luc Godard’s film “Until the Brides Breath” was also released, which was a hit that marked Belmondo as a star. Belmondo appeared in some of the greatest films of French cinema in the 1962s, such as “Cartouche” in 1963, “Peppered Candies” from 1965, “The Man Mario” which will be screened at this year’s festival as part of the tribute in which Belmondo introduced Swiss actress Ursula Anders, who was known for her role as the first James Bond girl, the colorful “Piero the Madman” in which Belmondo returned to collaborate with Godard alongside Anna Karina from 1969 and will also be screened at the festival, François Truffaut’s “The Mississippi Girl” from XNUMX, “My Man” from the same year by Claude Lelouch, who Belmondo considered one of his favorite actors, and more. His star continued to shine in the XNUMXs with films such as “Borsalino” alongside Alain Delon And "The Man from Acapulco," one of his biggest hits from 1973. In recent years, due to health problems, he has rarely participated in new projects; the last film in which Belmondo participated was released in 2010.
Three of Belmondo's well-known films will be screened at the French Film Festival:
Pierrot the Mad / PIERROT LE FOU
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Screenplay: Jean-Luc Godard, based on a work by Lionel Witt
Actors: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina, Samuel Polar
1965, romantic crime drama, 110 minutes
Courtesy of the French Institute
French, English translation
One of Jean-Luc Godard's flagship films is a tribute to crime films that are almost devoid of any real plot.
She (Anna Karina) has killed a man and is being pursued by Algerian criminals. He (Jean-Paul Belmondo) helps her escape to the south. FranceThe film takes viewers on an adventurous journey through the French landscape. The film’s spectacular cinematography was by Raoul Cottard, Godard’s regular cinematographer at the time, who also shot “Until the Brides of Breath” and “Contempt.” Cottard also worked with other directors such as Truffaut and Demy. He passed away last November at the age of 92.
Monday, 20.03, Tel Aviv Cinematheque, 18:00 PM
The Man from Rio / L'HOMME DE RIO
Directed by: Philippe de Brusa
Screenplay: Daniel Boulanger, Philippe de Brussé, Ariane Mnuchin, Jean-Paul Rapano
Actors: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Françoise Durlac, Jean Cerva
1964, comedy thriller, 112 minutes
Courtesy of the French Institute
French, English translation
One of Belmondo's greatest action films. Adrien witnesses the kidnapping of his beloved fiancée, Agnes, the daughter of a famous anthropologist. Adrien embarks on a search for her that takes him all the way to Brazil, where he gets involved with local criminals.
Saturday, 25.03, Tel Aviv Cinematheque, 19:00 PM
Wedding of the Year 2 / LES MARYS DE L'AN 2
Director: Jean-Paul Rapano
Screenplay: Jean-Paul Rapano, Maurice Klebel, Claude Sota
Actors: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Marlene Joubert, Laura Antonelli
1971, Adventure comedy drama, 98 minutes
Courtesy of the French Institute
French, English translation
Nicolas is a Frenchman living in America. He wants to marry a wealthy heiress, but first he must return to France and divorce his wife Charlotte. When Nicolas arrives in France, he has difficulty finding his wife Charlotte, a daughter of a local noblewoman.
Sunday, 26.03, Tel Aviv Cinematheque, 19:00 PM
Do you know the Hebrew name of the film by JP Belmondo?
The ace of aces?
And where can it be seen?
Unfortunately not.