Bernadette Lafont, and God Created the Free Woman (2016) - full transcript

I need a miracle

I, Satan !

Who's this girl ?

- It's Ambroisine

- You know her ?

Yes, a little bit

How cheeky she is !

That's the most beautiful butt

in the district !

Wonderful !

Look at what you're offering me,

since you're so sure I really want it.

Dear Bernadette,

As soon as I discovered you on screen,

I loved you

And you always have been to me

the incarnation of the free woman,

Desire, audacity, zest for life

and seduction

Your freedom of choice

The freedom to be yourself

The freedom to embody many characters,

And why not contradictory

You're way more beautiful than the boss

I'm searching for you through

the characters who shaped you,

who fascinated us,

and who seem to carry each a part

of your mystery.

I took my freedom, I already knew

that it's not given,

that you have to take it yourself,

because everything prevents yourself

to have it.

What brought us on these bright mornings,

While balls flew above the warm sand ?

The love of sport or

the short pleated skirt,

Bernadette's bare legs ?

Shit !

I'm watching you, at your acting debut,

as you were 18,

in your husband's arms,

the actor Gérard Blain.

Your first act of freedom has been

to leave Nîmes with him.

You seem to play yourself

when you're with him,

in The Brats.

Well, they said that Chabrol or Truffaut

was the ones who discovered me

But no, it's Gérard.

But he was reluctant about it.

Gérard wanted a wife who'd be at home,

so I couldn't say I wanted to play in films

So, one day, we were on the beach,

With Chabrol and Truffaut, and then,

They offered us a role,

together, at the same time,

in their films, first The Brats then

Le Beau Serge,

And it felt like the sky had fallen on me

I said to myself :

"Gérard will never go for it!"

So, how did he change his mind ?

I said that it would be a family thing, and

that was true,

That this short film would probably never

be released

A short film, it's nothing, you know

Nobody watches you

And it would happen at home, in the South,

It felt like holidays,

filmed holidays, but still holidays

That was like nothing.

So, it was filmed at your parents' house,

your friends' house ?

Yes, the house of my father's

colleague is mine in the film

You know, when I'm at the window and I say

hello

My grandmother made this house a kind of

core... A core of cinema

She told me that when she was

a little girl, she wore dresses,

scarves, she did shows, she danced,

and her parents watched her,

And it began like that.

Your family house is still there,

in the heart of the Protestant Cévennes,

You always had an attachment towards it

It's permeated by your presence,

by your history

The kind of cinema I dreamt of wasn't

at all what I was offered.

I dreamt of studios, like Hollywood,

color films,

My dream was to be Leslie Caron in

An American in Paris

Daughter of a pharmacist, like me, dancer,

I was deeply identifying with her

- She looks like you, Solène

- In the photo ?

Yeah, in the photo, that's clear she looks

like you

The mouth

I like... Which one do I prefer ?

I like them all...

I loved my father. I had a passion for him

and I owe him what I have become

My father had some kind of weakness,

he loved known...

...and recognized people

And I know I really wanted to become famous

to please him, I'm sure of that...

And I was thinking : "One day, I'll be

on a cover, and daddy will pin it...

...in his pharmacy."

When I was 13 or 14, I was completely

obsessed with B. Bardot,

And when I met Truffaut, Chabrol and

others, they were also obsessed with her.

And so, I tried to imitate her smile.

I dressed up provocatively, to play a game

of seduction

And I remember I said to Chabrol :

"When will we shoot in studio,

with colours ?

And I want close-ups"

To me, it was a kind of amateur cinema

At the beginning I was horrified because

he offered me first the role of

the pregnant woman,

- In Le Beau Serge ?

- Yes

And you were horrified about shooting

with a little cushion on the stomach ?

Yes, I was, indeed

Originally he searched for a 14-year old

girl who could play the role of Marie

Then, I went to his wife and I told her

that role wasn't for me at all,

And that would be better

if I could play Marie

By this time, I already

made certain choices.

François ?

I was searching for you

Do you want to dance on the next song ?

No.

What's wrong with you ?

Do you want to go out now ?

No, leave me alone

What's wrong with him ?

I wish I knew.

Don't stand here like that,

you look like a priest

Come on, let's dance

The New Wave Cinema is

a fundamentally masculine cinema

You know instinctively, that, to exist

in the eyes of men,

You have to enter your fantasies.

Once the filming of Le Beau Serge

has been finished,

Gérard put me in a train, he was really

reluctant about letting me play in movies

He realised later he was wrong,

So we broke up.

I'm married to the cinema,

it's a kind of consuming love for it,

It's a priority in my life

In Les Bonnes Femmes, you and

C. Chabrol reveal the ordinary misogyny...

...and the hypocrisy of the middle class.

In this film, there's a whole part

that'is really dark, but really poetic

I told you my name is not Jeanne

I'm Jane.

Yes, Jeanne.

No, not Jeanne, Jane, J-A-N-E !

Aaah, well.

Les Bonnes Femmes was a real failure,

because it attacked

the morality of this time

Actually, what shocked them was the fact

they could watch themselves

like in a mirror.

That was really uncomfortable for them

to watch themselves in a mirror

And so, there was insults, broken seats,

and threats, that was awful

There's the young and innocent girl

who wants to leave,

And Jane, who's completely drunk,

stays with the two guys

so they can make her.

What are you searching for, guys ?

You expressed the harsh reality of all

the young women from your generation,

in 1960.

Subject to an order

which seems unalterable,

they cannot escape the sexual abuse,

nor their dead silence,

leaving them shameful.

- I'm gonna make coffee.

Did you sleep here ?

Yes

If you're asked, tell them

I slept here.

No, I haven't done in films

everything I do in real life...

That's worrying for the future...

I'd like to do more... to go further

compared to what I did in movies until now.

"What's new, Bernadette Lafont ?"

"What has been the most important thing

in your life until now ?"

She answers in a serious tone.

"My marriage to Diourka."

"Diourka will forever be the one

I have loved the most."

"The love of my life."

Yeah, she really loved him.

She still loves him.

I didn't really choose Diourka,

It was like I'd been abducted

He kinda picked me up.

I remember the first time I saw him,

at a friend's house,

she said : "I'm waiting that guy,

he's wonderful, beautiful, he's a sculptor,

He's coming to pick me up,

he's coming with us."

Look.

He stands like that...

and I hold on to him...

He wanted to go to the countryside,

so we left Paris,

We went to the Oise department, it felt

like it was the other side of the world

I was less and less working...

I got pregnant thrice in

3 years, because...

...there were no contraceptive

pills at the time.

Besides, F. Truffaut sent me a letter,

one day, that said :

"You have chosen life, I have chosen to

make movies, so our paths won't probably...

cross anymore."

That was wonderful...

...to live there. By the way my pregnancies

went very well, I wasn't sick at all.

I was fit.

During the 3rd or 4th month, we went to

the Cévennes.

Until the birth, we went fishing, we fried

the fishes, sitting there beside the river,

we walked around the countryside

all the time, that was heavenly...

Heavenly...

I was so happy that I thought : "That's it,

I'm settled,

This is how I make my living,

And I'll always get offered roles..."

And people believed I was not

interested anymore, because...

Besides, that's true, because I was like...

getting eroded by life

So, I played less and less in movies

And now, I try to...

I'm making a kind of come-back...

So are you moving away from

family life a bit ?

Not entirely, no, but my children

are growing up,

they can manage without me.

How old are they now ?

6, 5, and 3.

So if they're 6, 5, and 3-years old,

you think that...

I wasn't happy, and I talked to my mother

who said to me :

Send your children to the Cévennes.

When I went back to Paris,

I went out first to see Les Idoles.

And when I saw that show, I thought

that was modern and I'd like to play there.

I wanted to play with comedians

like Kalfon, like Bulle Ogier...

We'll tell you first..

...about the start of

our great supershow...

Les Idoles du Clan...

Then...

Les Idoles du Clan

Simon... Charlie... And Gigi...

Bernadette played in the film Les Idoles

And she played "Sister Hilarity"

At that time, there was

"The Singing Nun" (Sister Smile)...

...who was a real nun,

but she made yé-yé songs,

she sang,

And so Bernadette was "Sister Hilarity".

Will you honor us by singing

your new hit single ?

Oh, Miss, I don't know if I should...

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Then, in that case, father...

O, Lord, look at your children...

They are so happy...

...to sing your praises...

She had already a... very good status.

She may not have been asked about it,

but she really wanted to enter this world.

She wasn't pulled into this world,

she came herself.

She was available, open-minded.

And... She simply

entered this world, because...

she was already a part of it.

She wasn't the same

as in Les Bonnes Femmes, she was...

maybe, 10 years, 20 years ahead

on the punks.

Her hair was shaved,

She had booties, she had...

A knife in one of those.

And, she had a very pale makeup,

with a dark lipstick.

It was avant-garde at the time,

She was totally...

Another character she had created,

I had very short hair, with nails

painted in black...

Shaved eyebrows,

It was a way of... I lived '68 in that way,

dressed like that.

I went back to see Truffaut, I told him

I wanted to play again in films,

So he said : "Like Jean-Pierre Lèaud,

send a letter to every director

to tell them you want to work with them."

And actually, I listened to him,

That's how I wrote to Nelly Kaplan

for the film A Very Curious Girl.

I want it.

Promises are made to be kept!

Shut up...

After I send her home, I'll follow you.

I'm coming

Now or never !

I'm watching you when you were 30.

You're teaching me insubordination,

but also happiness and pleasure.

The worrying freedom you embodied

during the New Wave era

was honoured after May '68.

No more shame.

Time to be insolent.

Time to revolt.

You're the Very Curious Girl.

We can say that A Very Curious Girl

is about revenge,

And usually, revenge brings more revenge,

and that ends always with blood and death,

but not in your film.

Why ? You imagine it in another way ?

Yes, I think revenge is

a very positive thing,

That someone who has been bullied,

abused,

have to take revenge to break free.

But I don't see why it should end

with blood and multiple deaths.

The revenge against the husbands is perfect

it totally reveals...

the filthy customs of the town.

then she leaves it.

She only has two weapons : her beauty

and her brain, she uses them.

What gives pleasure never hurts

Ah, Marie

If you only knew how much you're giving

me troubles.

You're very naughty.

You know ?

You're vey naughty !

All that troubles you're giving me...

I'll be forced to spank you !

Same as when you stole my marmalade

Do you remember,

you little naughty girl ?

Do you remember ?

You have to pay in advance.

Do you know the price ?

30 francs

It really was the most global hit for me.

Every country liked this film.

And at the same time, I felt responsible

with this film,

because when I started my career,

very young, with Chabrol, Truffaut, etc...,

I was chosen because I was considered

a gifted actress...

...who wanted to do that, but who

wasn't...

...ready and mature.

So, I deserved to play in this film.

I love this film because it's a...

personal success, and a success for people.

So, there will be more joy in heaven...

...for one sinner who repents...

...than for 99 others who don't need...

♪ Barbara - Moi je me balance ♪

-Is it better than with Rose ?

- Marie, you smell good...

Let's talk about Rose,

I want to know.

She's old...

She's ugly...

Cold like an ice cube...

She's passive like a beast.

I think there are no films for women,

no films for men, there are just films.

If you say "films for women"

it's derogatory.

My mother gave me a lot of strength.

My parents were wonderful,

and I owe them everything

My artistic leanings come from my father,

but my personality comes from my mother...

...who were a really strong woman,

and who always told me that you have to

earn your living,

that you have to live on your own...

And she kinda raised me

like if I was a boy.

All her life, she called me Bernard.

Why don't you work as a hooker ?

Too tiring.

You always have to go on top.

You realise how many times a day

you have to do it ?

With Jean-Pierre at least,

we don't do it too much.

- You don't like men ?

- Which men ?

Where do you see men?

After A Very Curious Girl,

I played in a film that I like very much,

but little known,

because of his distribution, Sophie's Ways.

It's a film about feminism,

based on a book by C. Rochefort,

who is one of

the founding mothers of feminism,

an amazing woman.

It's an anti-masculine film, right ?

No, no, I don't think so.

I think it's more pro-masculine,

because being misogynist and...

...being not aware of this

is not really useful

Either you realize it, and you choose

to be that kind of person,

or you realize that's meaningless.

That's why it would be pro-masculine.

- Can you hear the acceleration ?

And there is a handle, there.

You can hold it.

- Yeah, that's a good thing.

- It holds the road.

Well, Philippe...

Could you let me drive for a while?

Certainly not. You'd damage it.

I don't think there is neither

a masculine cause or a feminine one.

I think, there's rather a human cause.

From this perspective,

I'd say that the film tackles some

millenary traditional structures...

...of masculinity,

we can see by the social interactions.

This is commonly known as

the patriarchal system.

We can say that for 3000 or 4000 years,

society is made by men, for men,

and women play a secondary role.

It is a fact.

Julia has a traditional side to her.

- That's Italy.

- Really?

- Men are still in charge there.

- I hope so.

Tell me, how do I do for Juana?

- Tell me.

- Put 250 for the dress.

But I got it for 120.

It was on sale.

Well, put 220 if you're worried

it will be too obvious.

It can't be much fun being a husband.

Yes, but they're afraid

of being alone, you know.

Do you think thare's a kind of man

that people should get rid of ?

I don't think we should worry about

a certain kind of individual,

but more about the system

which is really awful,

but individuals are the victims of this.

People are good in my mind.

We shouldn't blame people.

We should really blame the system.

Well, I already said that.

So it's not about getting rid of men,

right ?

Well, not at all. What would we do

without men ?

Bernadette has never been an activist.

She even hated the word.

She became one

spontaneously,

but not with political considerations,

or a desire to fight,

it was... in a completely spontaneous,

natural way,

While I was more an active fighter,

to defend the cause of women.

It's your fault.

Why do you argue with them?

It's silly.

When you talk with them,

it's as if you were a pot.

I'm not only an object of sexual desire

who's constantly hit on,

well, I don't deny it, but there's

something else to say.

So in Sophie's Ways, the character

speaks, express herself,

and not only in a charming way.

It seems quite contradictory to play in

Sophie's Ways to be more than a symbol.

I think you can feel it in this film.

It's important for me.

He's not listening,

he only hears the music of your voice.

So when you get upset,

he only hears a scherzo.

And when you tell him to piss off,

it's as if there was a false note.

But why is he that way? It's tiresome.

You keep forgetting

you are a woman.

That's why we're all delighted to meet you,

first because a smile, a face like yours

is priceless,

Sparkling eyes... An elegant woman.

We like your presence very much.

It's the first big feminist protest event

that happens in Paris since 1936.

The 5th of April 1971,

the MLF (Women's Liberation Movement)

published a manifesto

that would change our lives.

343 women claimed they had aborted,

and defied the authorities to stop them.

Women could die, be very sick,

become sterile, or have

their ovaries removed...

because of the infections.

So I signed the manifesto not in an act of

provocation but because it seemed obvious.

I'm in favour of abortion.

So, I will not sign a petition,

but I say it now, so...

- ...everybody will know.

- That's very good.

Mobilization created links between

actresses, female writers and politicians.

The female solidarity tackled

the misogynist stereotypes.

You killed your wife.

They didn't tell you

so you wouldn't feel bad,

but I don't see why.

Her face was completely smashed.

And because of you, the little girl who was

in the car you drove into is paralyzed.

Her spine is broken.

You tried to overtake a more powerful car

but you couldn't.

You were going uphill

and you couldn't see anything.

You didn't cut in.

You killed because you were stupid

and lacked reflexes.

You're just an ordinary idiot.

You're not strong enough

to control a machine.

So stay put and don't touch it anymore,

you're not good enough.

You won't find masculinity

in your right foot.

Impotent men should stick to cycling.

Simone Veil...

...invited me for a lunch

because she loved the film...

...and especially this scene.

In Sophie's Ways with B. Ogier,

or in A Very Curious Girl they

played completely feminine characters,

but also... very aggressive towards men,

and I think that because

there's so much agressiveness in this film,

it was depreciated by the masculine media,

that could not bear this.

But I think she plays with so much

humour and talent

And despite that aggresiveness,

she plays this character with accuracy

to target the problem.

Look at what you're offering me,

since you're so sure I really want it.

Look at yourself.

No, this doesn't matter at all.

It's the whole package.

Look at yourself.

Have you ever wondered

if you were attractive? No.

- You take it for granted.

- No.

You should think about it

before pretending you're a god.

Being smug is not enough.

Get dressed. I just did you a favour.

And that's because François saw this film,

that he sent me a letter...

to say he wanted me to play in a film

of his again.

So it was Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me,

and I loved to play the main role.

I think if this book, Such

a Gorgeous Kid Like Me,

which were also

entitled The Siren's song,

if this book had been read by

other filmmakers,

and if I asked them which actress

should play the main role,

everyone would choose Bernadette,

because, for me, there's a great

coincidence between what we know of her,

and the character of the book.

The character of Camille Bliss is

a real bitch,

because as soon as someone upsets her,

she kills him.

F. Truffaut always said that if he had been

a woman, he would be like Camille.

We laughed together when he said :

"Camille Bliss is irredeemable,

She's the greatest sinner.

This joyful insolence awakens a new wish

for F. Truffaut, 15 years after The Brats.

While enjoying working with you,

he offered you a huge popular success.

I came to her home with my daughter,

her husband Diourka was there,

but also their children...

David, Pauline and... Elisabeth.

And they used to say that Pauline could be

my daughter, and Pascale, my real daughter,

could be Bernadette's.

That was because of their hair tones.

So you can see how close we were.

She was...

free, warm, but also strict,

austere, and private.

And that's because of her roots.

She didn't like to show her wealth,

that's because of her Protestant values.

These values were reflected in every ounce

of her being, of her spirit,

in the way she worked,

in the way she played.

When I ws a young girl,

I was not physically free.

I was not allowed to go to see friends,

That was unthinkable.

By contrast, they allowed me to have

a complete mental freedom.

I could read anything,

every work of Marcel Aymé, at 12 years old

or The Thief's Journal by J. Genet,

at 14 years old.

There was no kind of censorship...

Because...

If you want to build yourself a persona,

you have to dream a lot.

So that helped me a lot.

Your reconquered fame allows you to

navigate freely...

...between popular cinema and

avant-garde cinema,

your secret garden.

Like this visionary film about the suburbs,

made by Jacques Baratier, in 1970.

It's a film which takes place in...

amid rusted sheet metal,

and in front of the brand new

public housing.

So this film is about the contrast

between these two worlds :

The world of junk and freedom, which is not

always happy;

and the world of order and socialization,

which is also not always happy.

And so my character is omnipresent

in the film, and is like an allegory...

...of freedom... Yes, freedom.

She's reminiscent of the character in

La Poupée based on J. Audiberti's work.

When we played in Piège, or in

La ville-bidon,

we were paid correctly.

For La ville-bidon, there were good fees...

As soon as I had enough money

to pay the rent,

to buy clothes and food,

Probably because of my education,

I'm not...

I can live with very little money.

Don't forget you're mine.

I can do anything of you.

You're mine !

No need to wait the end of the world,

at least you're mine !

- There's your mom.

- Ah yeah, it's her.

I thought that little girl was Pauline.

-Yes.

- With the shawl.

-It's you.

- Yes, it's me.

Well, we can see easily you all belong

to the same family.

Yes.

Yes, it's true.

There's the river.

And, there's... Diourka.

Diourka ?

Yeah, tha's where he made shots for

his film Paul.

- I don't know if...

- Yes, yes, of course.

Yes, of course I saw it, it was one of

Bernadette's favourite movies.

He had a very limited budget....

...to make this film,

but...

...He had an artistic strength,

and Bernadette was convinced he was

a great filmmaker.

and she helped him a lot to make this film.

I play the guru...

...who has a main role in the plot,

and he's vegan, but he brings her

a big meat piece,

his wife, who's played by Bernadette.

And look what she's going to do...

It reminds of the nordic cinema,

Dreyer, etc...

The Passion of Joan of Arc

- The angles...

- Yes, it's true, Diourka loves this film.

He talks about it very often

- About Dreyer's film ?

- Yeah, yeah.

You can see it.

- I didn't know about that.

- Yeah.

He was the first to offer me a role

that I was not used to.

After they have watched

Diourka's two films,

J. Rivette, and J. Eustache offered me

roles that I definitely was not used to.

For example, I could play the Mother

instead of the Whore.

Roles with more introspection,

Diourka showed to the filmmakers

that it was possible.

You joined Jean-Pierre Léaud to form

a couple that would become legendary,

in The Mother and the Whore.

Thanks to your two famous names,

Jean Eustache obtained a weak budget.

He loved you.

He specifically chose you to demolish

the dreams of freedom you had embodied.

For the first time, I made a film... for...

the ones who would play in it.

That means that I contacted the actors

before I write the film.

I told them...

"I would like to make a film with you."

"Are you willing to play in this film ?"

And they asked me what was about this film.

I said : "I don't know."

I remember very well when we were in

Gérard Lebovici's office,

who was a great impresario,

and he said :

"No, you can't make this film !"

He was not interested.

You know...

Eat, drink and be merry as they say...

but I only follow my instinct, that's all.

Going out with the nurse?

Yes, with the nurse.

Going out to eat?

Eat, have a drink, I'm not sure...

You can afford to take a girl out,

but you can never manage it with me.

- Have your new boyfriend take you.

- I don't have a new boyfriend!

Your next boyfriend, then...

You can sure say some dumb things...

Pass the bottle.

I understand your desire

to seduce women.

Knowing them is the point,

not seducing.

But you won't understand

I can want to know someone too!

I'm not turned on to those

lofty spheres...

I operate in the everyday world,

the banal...

But I don't mean sex.

Even if I meant, it takes two.

I have every confidence in you,

my dear.

You're sweet.

You have to mention Jean Eustache,

the filmmaker, who was like a catalyst...

...of energy...

We were totally carried by his thoughts...

- ...by everything we knew...

- We were in a hurry...

- with all the difficulties...

- That's right, we worked very hard,

like 40 hours a week, without sleeping,

without eating.

We were all in the same boat.

Everybody had their own problems,

but we were in the same boat.

Hello.

- Want a drink?

- Yes.

- A drink?

- Sure.

I'll bring it.

The second french film nominated in Cannes,

Shame or masterpiece ?

You, Gilles Jacob, didn't like this film.

No, I didn't like it,

If I may paraphrase Jean Eustache,

it's a shitty film, in my opinion.

I think it's a nonfilm

Shot by a non-filmmaker,

played by a non-actor.

Listen, I can tell you that, during

the winter before the filming,

every sunday,

We gathered together with Jean

- each of us have children -

and they played around.

And he read...

the script, page by page.

And I said instantly...

"It can become a film, and we can publish

this script, because it's really strong."

That's all.

The Special Jury Prize...

The Mother and the Whore, by Jean Eustache.

I'm remembering you, when you were 35,

fulfilled, with a new female companion,

Catherine Deneuve.

Star,

or anti-star.

Whatever.

We get on very well, and we are different.

We have two really different personalities,

but also complementary,

we have a lot of fun together,

but we look like...

...we have no things in common.

But when we talk together...

We talks a lot, we look for eath other when

we don't work together.

We meet often when we don't work.

There's a big complicity between us,

and we work very well together.

We both make fun of

this contrast blonde/brunette,

and the idea we're very different,

so there can't be any competition

between us, we show off.

Sometimes I say jokingly

"like Laurel & Hardy".

I really don't care about competition.

I prefer emulation.

And in my job, there's always competition.

Yes, you can be one of the most outrageous

french actresses,

and also undertake

the merest household tasks.

That's OK with the bathrobe, but I must

look like a Cocteau star, Yvonne De Bray.

Isn't it right ? The male robe,

a bit dirty.

And the pumps...

You know, after all...

And now, we're gonna put all this dishware

in the washer.

You believe I should do something

about that in 10 years ?

I'm watching you as you are 40.

It's the end of the Seventies.

You dared to make your debut on stage,

and play Elisabeth Bathory.

The Bloody Countess.

When media comes to your house,

your personality seems like acted out,

while your son David is playing drums

in a close room.

Rock is great, it gives you energy.

A theatre play is like a show.

Gimme your mic.

Now I can play Elisabeth Bathory.

Ah yes, happy new year to all of you,

peasants,

but I should have exterminated all of you.

Listen what you say.

God bless the householders.

It is up to you to recruit new handmaids.

Mistress.

You know how we are devoted to you.

We endlessly plow the hills

to visit the shacks.

And we even reached the border.

But times are hard.

Parents are becoming curious.

They ask questions, and they ask for money.

All this slow us down.

You're becoming too old.

Who would give you their child away ?

I should substitute you.

Way too old,

way too ugly.

Can you pick me up ?

Yes, if you want, but go at the back.

Thanks.

Welcome.

Change yourself, it will be better.

Give her some clothes.

Why is your shirt ripped ?

There's her son Jean-David.

There's Pauline.

Elisabeth and her.

She has a queen's crown !

I said princess earlier...

I was wrong, you have to say "queen".

Actually she began princess,

then she became a queen.

Femininity is like a game,

well teached to your two daughters

who began their career.

It's almost like you were 3 sisters.

So Bernadette, why did you choose

this hobby ?

Well, first because we love water.

And... because of this magical

perception we have, the nostalgia about

fantasy.

which is absent in the contemporary cinema,

this sad, dull cinema.

So we try to revive the visions

we had when we were young,

The Sirens' Dance for example.

For a single child, Bernadette is

a remarkably happy person,

because generally, single children are

melancholic.

She's a fighter.

We must not forgot she's a great fighter.

She always had been a resilient woman.

She didn't like at all if someone

complain..

She hated that.

You talk about something, and then...

She's alert, awakened,

like a dog,

a hunting dog,

"Something I didn't know."

Parties are popular.

And creators chose you and your daughters,

Pauline and Elisabeth.

Generations mixed in night clubs,

Le Palace and Les Bains Douche.

where party and transgression dominate.

The aspiration of change allowed

the Left Wing to rise to power in 1981.

I often thought that...

I made performances, something that

doesn't last, that is ephemeral.

Your taste for dressing up

dominated in the Cannes festival,

where you were invited to review films.

Ideal opportunity to be

applaused every night,

whereas there were no film

in competition, in which you played.

I wondered why I was only with

painters, scupltors, artists,

that's because it's the same thing,

nearly the same thing,

we're creators, but it's on ourselves.

Your daughter, Pauline, became an actress

during the glamorous Eighties.

And like for you, Claude Chabrol

offered her her first main role.

To introduce Chicken With Vinegar,

she agreed to participate in a fake

television interview.

- You're the mailwoman ?

- Yes.

So, you're involved in this case ?

Yeah, not really, but yes.

Do you want to give us revelations ?

No, I can't now... Maybe later,

but not now.

But nobody wants to talk, why ?

Because we can't talk.

Don't say anything !

That was Chabrol.

Pauline was compared with Marilyn.

They had the same weaknesses,

the same strengths,

the same intelligence,

and the same astounding beauty.

Pauline was bored with the roles she had

because of her beauty instead of

her huge talent.

She fell to her death in the Cévennes,

but her body was only found

3 months later.

Her demise provoked unhealthy curiosity,

fed by the media.

- How did you manage to...?

- It's a tragedy.

...to get rid of the media that...

- ...were insistent about this case ?

- That was hard, I wanted to leave France.

I was lucky to have very...

welcoming relatives.

And work.

Work. I always worked.

Pascale Ogier,

daughter of Bulle, and wonderful actress...

...had died 3 years earlier.

2 rising stars from the french cinema

passed away at the age of 25.

marking the end of a

frivolous era.

We waited to see each other,

because...

Bernadette and Bulle...

withdrew into themselves.

So now, there's a kind of wall,

invisible,

that will always be there.

It won't... disappear.

Hi, little sister ! What's going on ?

I ring the bell for 1 hour.

Sorry, I'll take you

some money for the taxi.

Bernadette suggested the idea that I should

play in the film to Marion Vernoux.

So we hadn't seen each other.

Yes.

I felt nostalgic, I missed her.

But, you know, we didn't phone

to each other,

Our personal lives...

Well, that was difficult.

For... many reasons.

And... I finally saw Bernadette during

the Molières ceremony.

She send me a note that moved me deeply,

and that made me cry a little.

And after that, when Marion Vernoux...

offered me this role,

I thought I could finally see Bernadette.

And we saw each other, after 9 years.

As if we left...

At midnight, after a last chit-chat

about life, men...

Food, plastic surgery...

Actually, I wanted to know...

You had a facelift since the last time ?

Because I saw a mark behind your ear.

You don't have to answer if

that embarrasses you.

It's mostly a matter of lifestyle.

eating healthily,

respecting your biological rhythm,

avoiding toxins, practicing yoga,

breathing.

You always have been jealous.

She hadn't a main role for a while

So...

That was very important for her.

And, she really wished

to play in this film.

A film for which she was

a brunette once again.

I think filmmakers like young flesh.

But happy accidents can also happen.

I mean you can have a major role

after menopause.

I think we formed

a good cinema duo together.

Yes.

Marion Vernoux reunited you

as symbols of May '68 era,

of which dreams were replaced

by depression and narcissism.

An unforgiving first film,

in which Bulle and you

have the same humour,

and the same bond you had when

you sang freedom.

You cheated me a lot.

None of your business.

I always desired you, even now.

Why don't you like me anymore ?

Oh, you're pissing me off.

In a first film,

There's always something wonderful

that we don't find again

with the same intensity.

I mean...

Only when the filmmaker really has to make

a film to express something.

So, he shares his enthusiasm and...

It's like an electric battery...

an electrical contact with others.

If you're receptive to the filmmaker's

ideas, if you understand them,

There's an emulation, a kind of joy,

I like this very much.

I mean, there's some risk, you don't know

how far that'll go

But, at the same time, there is

some creativity...

Hi.

Oh, it's nice.

You wanted to buy that ?

Don't you think it's great ?

It's great, for me.

Tell me seriously. Don't make fun.

You don't want me to tell you seriously!

You want me to say I like it when I don't.

- So you don't like it ?

- No.

What's wrong with it? I don't get you.

You don't? Your hair in a rat's tail,

and that big bow!

A headband!

Your knees are too beat-up for that dress.

Maybe I can fix the waist.

You never see chic people.

How could you know?

I don't see people dressed

like Christmas trees in July!

Christmas trees are pretty!

Am I an Easter egg or a Christmas tree?

- Go back...

- "Go back"...You mean "step back"!

She passed us on a lot, about femininity.

As soon as we didn't stand right,

she was there to correct us,

she advised us to put

a broom between the shoulders,

to train.

She also advised us to

do breathing exercises,

like to stand straight, keeping the foot

parallel to the hips,

and breathe with the head upright.

When I first saw me on the screen,

I was nearly terrified,

I thought I looked like a potato,

I was shocked.

I had to get used to that,

and learn to love myself.

Of course.

To accept myself, to love myself.

I called her "Mother Courage".

She had to take care of her children,

grand-children, and Diourka.

Even after the break-up,

She couldn't take the liberty to be only

an actress that took a radical choice,

She had to make her living to take care

of her family.

Bernadette Lafont.

The Brats,

Handsome Serge

Masks,

Charlotte and Lulu,

Women in Prison,

Bernadette,

Well, what a warm welcome!

Anyway, you are the french

audience's fiancé

What a warm welcome !

She received a lot of mail,

She answered to everyone.

I remember her buying a lot of stamps

in the post office.

She said that took time but she answered

to everybody.

She liked that popularity

I told you, she was...

She was close to the people.

That brought her pleasure.

While I don't care. That's a difference

between us.

She said there was

a main role every 10 years.

And sometimes when they talked about her

in the media,

for example,

when they said "B. Lafont, still sexy",

she was annoyed, she disagreed.

Because of her image, she preferred

to play corresponding roles,

roles of grandmothers, for example.

What are you doing ?

Stop, Thomas !

I want to see the boss.

Who ?

Vito !

What name ?

Leave me, nigger.

What did you just say ?

- What did you just say ?

- Leave her alone !

What do you want ?

Please, I want so speak to Mr. Vito.

It's me.

Who's this ?

Mr. Vito.

I know what you do.

I want to join you.

Ah yes ? What do I do ?

I want to sell drugs.

One of the first things she told us.

She said : "Boys, I received an amazing

script, I really want to play in this film.

And that was Paulette.

I never judge the characters I play.

I never try to make them more intelligent

than they are.

When you play an idiot or

an intelligent one,

You have to play with the same strength,

the same authenticity.

I don't cheat with that.

She practiced a lot her breathing,

her bearing,

and as she often said in interviews,

she did the opposite for the film Paulette.

She gave up the bearing.

She gave up the breathing practice,

she practiced the old lady posture.

We're waiting !

Where's Francis ?

Renée, play your card.

You remember when we played

at the restaurant, before the service.

Well.

You should let her have an injection,

that doesn't look easy...

Paulette...

Play your card, Alzheimer !

My sister, who's in high school,

has friends who told her that B. Lafont

was their favorite actress,

because they saw Paulette.

Otherwise they couldn't say that,

they know her only because of this film.

Cheers.

When I was young, I was fascinated

by the old age

And I wanted to be like that.

Maybe that comes from my father, who loved

archaeology.

He loved very old things.

We often went to see old ruins.

That was really poignant, really poetic.

I was used to see very old things.

We're fucked.

When you get smashed

with space cakes, you smoke less spliffs.

Yeah, but when your belly's full,

you also feel like smoking.

But when you smoke,

You feel like eating.

15 percent.

OK.

She was a star.

A star above us.

When she was alive, but also now.

She left us, but it's the same for us.

It's in our subconscious.

A star that guided us,

and that still guides us.

The camera don't love you, don't hate you,

but it takes you.

It's electric. And if you're in the dark,

I mean, if you have doubts,

if you want to refuse,

There's no more "light",

and what's this "light", this presence ?

It radiates.

It's a like a radio of the soul,

it's a curious thing.

You must have nothing to hide.