La Moreau

Born in the traditionally artistic Parisian quartier of Monmartre to an English mother and a French father, Jeanne Moreau has become one of the few true screen goddesses of the French cinema. The product of an unhappy marriage, her alienation from her parents - especially her father - quickly made her seek solace in other pursuits. Chief amongst these was her fascination with the stage and screen, and in time-honoured fashion she soon discovered her own talent, defying her father's wishes to forge a proper career for herself and rapidly becoming a prodigy in the hallowed theatrical circles of the Comedie Francaise. At the age of 20 she was offered an unprecedented four-year contract by that illustrious company. But as the stage gave way to cinema as the dominant entertainment of the age, Jeanne realised her future lay in the burgeoning and exciting world of the French Nouvelle Vague - the cinematic movement epitomised by the work of directors such as Francois Truffaut, Louis Malle (with whom she had a long-standing relationship) and Jean-Luc Godard. Her canon of work includes many classics of the genre: Louis Malle's "Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud" and "Les Amants", Traffaut's "Jules et Jim", and Luis Bunuel's "The Diary of a Chambermaid". Her English ancestry opened up avenues of opportunity unavailable to her solely francophone rivals, and she enjoyed huge popularity in the United States. Her Hollywood films includes Orson Welles' "Chimes at Midnight" aka "Falstaff", and Elia Kazan's "The Last Tycoon", opposite Robert de Niro and Jack Nicholson. Her experiences in America also led to one of her turbulent marriages, to Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin. Jeanne Moreau has always been more than just an actress. Her talent for performance sparked a successful singing career, and she has written and directed several of her own films; all the while juggling the demands of motherhood and a variety of celebrated lovers, among them fashion designer Pierre Cardin. In recent years she has experienced something of a resurgence of popularity and interest, appearing in Vincent Ward's "Map of the Human Heart" and Luc Bresson's "La Femme Nikita", as well as television dramas such as "Clothes in the Wardrobe". Based on extensive interviews with those closest to her, and with Jeanne herself, this biography explores all the different aspects of this remarkable woman, and attempts to explain the motivation and appeal of an actress whose charisma elevated her far above the limitations of celluloid.