“Bonjour Tristesse” The lives of Jean Seberg and Françoise Sagan unintentionally overlap

“Bonjour Tristesse” Synopsis

Cecil is a 17-year-old girl who lives with her father. The family was living happily in a villa in the south of France with his father Raymond and his young mistress Elsa, until Anne, who was a close friend of her late mother, appears in front of the family. Anne eventually became close to Raymond and they became engaged. Cecile learns of this and tries to break up the relationship between Raymond and Anne.

Index

• Joan of Arc's Revenge
• Angel face: Kuleshov effect
• movement of emotions
• Space of Absence: Introduction

Joan of Arc's Revenge

"I'm running too fast. I'm jumping too high. I'm punching too hard. I'm opening my eyes too much. I'm using too much force. My wounds are too deep. The kisses are too short... ...” (Jean Seberg)*

Jeanne Seberg wrote an unfinished poem on a plane on her way to the London premiere of her debut film, Saint Joan of Arc (directed by Otto Preminger, 1957). He has terrifying predictions of the strange life he will lead.

It was the first major audition to cross the United States since Vivien Leigh played the role of Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind " (directed by Victor Fleming, 39). There is archival footage of Jean Seberg, still a 17-year-old with long hair, pleasing the grumpy Otto Preminger.

In the audition video, Jean Seberg shines even more in the spotlight. Behind that sparkling expression and confident voice, there is a shadow that cannot be hidden. That shadow is much bigger than the precarious shadow of a 17-year-old girl trying to hide her insecurities in order to appear larger than she really is.

“Bonjour Tristesse” preview

After passing the audition, Jean Seberg was ordered to dramatically cut her long hair to play the role of Joan of Arc (this was a turning point in film history!). In contrast to the shadow that was seen in the audition video, it is full of the brightness of hope that a star with a promising future gives off.

``Solitary'' (directed by Philippe Garrel, 1974), in which Jean Seberg appears in her later years, is a work located in the far north of this world, but Jean Seberg continues to wear her shadow in the medium of video. This contrast of light and dark clearly expresses the innate qualities of the legendary actress Jean Seberg.

Jean Seberg was sent off in a grand manner, fulfilling the hopes of Marshalltown, a rural town in Iowa. However, ``Saint Joan of Arc'' was a huge failure both commercially and critically, and Jean Seberg was branded a failure from her debut film. In addition, the scars she received in the scene where she was shot at the stake and the unreasonable power harassment she suffered on set from Otto Preminger, who was also known as a tyrant, left lifelong scars on Jean Seberg's mind and body.

On the other hand, it is also recorded in the testimonies of her co-stars that Jean Seberg had an endearing strength to respond to Otto Preminger's provocations on set with provocative words. Despite being branded a failure by Hollywood, Jean Seberg signed a long-term contract with Otto Preminger and was given the lead role again in ``Bonjour Tristesse'' (1957), based on Francoise Sagan's original novel. Even in the complicated master-student relationship between Otto Preminger and Jean Seberg, ``Bonjour Tristesse'' was revenge for the criticism of ``Saint Joan of Arc.''

``I firmly refute the opinion that she has no talent at all.'' (Otto Preminger)

*From " Jean Seberg " by Garry McGee (Suiseisha). The release of the Jean Seberg documentary ``Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg'' produced by Garry McGee is eagerly awaited.