A Glamorous date at Place Vendôme

PostED ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2016

© Institut Lumière / Photo Lea Rener

Capricious weather, a morning screening and a queue for tickets was not enough to discourage moviegoers who came in droves to Pathé Bellecour last Friday to see "Place Vendôme" by Nicole Garcia. It was a prime opportunity to (re)discover the talents of the first woman to receive the Lumière Award, Catherine Deneuve, in the lead role.

A few hours before the Lumière Award ceremony, festivalgoers were able to admire the performance of the actress, playing a fallen woman out of control- a role at odds with the image of the national symbol that Catherine Deneuve embodies, since lending her fine features to Marianne (quintessential woman of the French Republic) in 1985. But in this thriller directed by Nicole Garcia, viewers find a wholly different Marianne on the screen.

As a treat to the festival audience, ahead of the screening, the "Place Vendôme" filmmaker revealed how she chose the actress to play the title role:

"When my film, 'The Favorite Son' was released in theaters, I was too nervous to look up the national attendance figures. I called the UGC Odéon cinema in Paris for the 2pm screening. They told me, 'Catherine Deneuve has just entered the theater!' That same evening, she called me to tell me my film had touched her. I immediately wanted to write a part for her. "

Place Vendôme's Marianne is a woman plagued by internal chaos who decides to investigate the death of her husband, prestigious jeweler, Malivert. "This character carries within her the imprints of the of male and female protagonists of all my films. Marianne has a luminous side, but is also fragile. Anyway, Catherine and I are very attached to this film." From Place Vendome to From the Land of the Moon, which previewed Thursday night, Nicole Garcia is decidedly collecting cinematic gems.

Laura Lepine