Today, legendary French actress Jeanne Moreau died at the age of 89.
To be honest, I haven’t seen all that many films with her, other than Ascenseur pour l’échafaud, The Train, and obviously Jules et Jim – but she has left more of an impression on me than many actresses that I’ve seen much more often. Especially Jules et Jim is a film that remains intensely fresh and alive every time I see it, and that is largely down to Moreau.
By coincidence, I finally saw Jules et Jim at the cinema last Saturday, after having seen it several times on TV. Barely two days later, I check my Facebook feed and see messages in her memory. I don’t know Moreau’s career well enough to talk about her at length, but Moreau’s performance in Jules et Jim remains indelible. There aren’t many characters in cinema as complicated, confounding, infuriating and entrancing as her Catherine. Few people leave behind anything nearly as memorable. Au revoir, Jeanne, and thank you.
A Damn Fine Cup of Culture 