Catherine Deneuve's poise makes us look harder at what her characters might be feeling. We admire her most when that reserve has something troubling beneath it; elegance on its own can keep us too far away.
Fi1m perspective
Catherine Deneuve's composure gives us something to watch before a character has explained herself. In Buñuel's Belle de Jour (1967) and Polanski's Repulsion (1965), the poised exterior suggests feelings that are harder to read. We value her ability to make that uncertainty interesting without insisting that we understand the woman at once. That reserve can also keep us at a distance, though. We need a reason to care beyond the elegance.
Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) was her breakthrough, so song belongs near the beginning of any account of her work. Her collaborations with Demy also make room for fantasy alongside the psychological and erotic dramas that shaped her early image. François Truffaut's The Last Metro (1980) revived her career, with another major role following in Indochine (1992). Ozon's ensemble musical comedy 8 Women (2002) returns us to a part of her work that the familiar reputation for coldness neglects.
Dancer in the Dark (2000) places her in a supporting role as Kathy, within Lars von Trier's punishing musical. We were moved by the songs because they allow Björk's Selma a life beyond the suffering the script arranges for her. The contrivances also made us resist some of the tears it demanded: the distress does not always feel earned. It is worth the discomfort, with a reservation that matters, and its chief claim on us is Björk rather than Deneuve.
We would not choose von Trier's film simply for Deneuve, and her presence does not excuse the script's manipulation. It is useful, though, to place Kathy alongside her breakthrough for Demy and her ensemble work for Ozon: being the leading attraction is only one of the jobs she has taken on. Her early reputation as an aloof beauty makes too little allowance for those different demands. For a starting point, choose The Umbrellas of Cherbourg; approach Dancer in the Dark only if an evening of deliberately punishing drama appeals.
Biography
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress. She made her screen debut in 1957 and appeared in early films including The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) as Geneviève Emery and Repulsion (1965) as Carol Ledoux.
She is known for performances in Belle de Jour (1967) as Séverine Serizy, The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) as Delphine Garnier, The Hunger (1983) as Miriam Blaylock, Dancer in the Dark (2000) as Kathy, 8 Women (2002) as Gaby, The Brand New Testament (2015) as Martine, and Gentle Monster (2026) as Eloise. Deneuve received César Awards for The Last Metro (1980) and Indochine (1992).
She has also voiced Marjane's mother in Persepolis (2007) and appeared in Asterix & Obelix: God Save Britannia (2012) as Cordelia la reine d'Angleterre.
