THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 29, 1995 TAG: 9507280058
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Interview
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Long : 133 lines
CATHERINE DENEUVE, the ice princess of a hundred French movie fantasies, was an hour late for the interview. In her case, it seemed only appropriate.
With ``Belle de Jour,'' which opened locally Friday (and has already set surprising records in New York), she is the belle of la cinema all over again.
For three decades, Deneuve has been considered one of the most beautiful women in the world. She was the embodiment of the French star - a symbol of sophistication and glamour in an era that was short on both counts.
She received an Oscar nomination just two years ago for playing a proud French colonial in the popular epic ``Indochine.'' Her mental breakdown in ``Repulsion'' (directed by Roman Polanski) remains one of the most horrifying movies ever made. Her lovely naivete in the musical ``The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' remains fresh.
In real life, her romantic liaisons with such famous men as director Roger Vadim and star Marcello Mastroianni are legendary.
Through it all, she maintained the mystery that is essential to a screen legend. With the re-release of ``Belle de Jour,'' a new generation wonders about the cool blonde.
So what made us think she would show up on this day?
But Deneuve, to glory in the re-issue, has crossed the Atlantic and, yes, she arrived complete with entourage. Dressed in a pink tailored suit topped by discreet diamonds, at 51, she is striking.
``If I could think of an excuse,'' she said, ``I would give one, but I can't - so I won't. I am just happy to be here.''
She is refreshingly direct and to the point - a professional, intent on business. Clearly she is here just to give an interview; we are obviously not personal friends. She is the star. We are the press.
When it was released in 1967, ``Belle de Jour'' initially was something of a shocker. Deneuve plays a wealthy but bored housewife who is a prostitute by day - Belle de Jour.
``It is strange to me that the public still, today, associates me with `Belle de Jour,' '' she said. ``The fact that Luis Bunuel chose me for the part was the thing that shocked some people, I think. I was shy. I had usually played quiet, introspective parts. For him to cast me as this woman who works in a brothel in secret shocked people a great deal more than if someone else had played it.
``It was a turning point in my career, but I don't think it was a great performance. It was more a presence than a performance.''
The late director Luis Bunuel was 67 years old and already a legend when he made ``Belle de Jour.'' Deneuve was known as the innocent girl who co-starred with her sister, Francoise Dorleac, in ``Umbrellas of Cherbourg.''
``Bunuel was very quiet,'' she said. ``He talked very little about the part or the film. It was his aura of greatness that inspired me. I didn't want to let him down. He believes in letting actors find their own way. The film itself was complex so we didn't need a lot of talk. He doesn't like to analyze roles. He took his work very seriously but he never took himself seriously.''
Asked what ``Belle de Jour'' will say to young people today, she is characteristically blunt. ``I don't think it will say anything to young people. Young people are not the hypocrites of the world. For the most part, young people say and do what they please. They don't have to worry yet. `Belle de Jour' does say something about hypocrisy - and how people don't act on what they want.
``I don't think the film is shocking today, but, then, I didn't think it should have shocked anyone in 1968. I do think that it still says a lot about fantasies. Women's sexual fantasies haven't changed a lot in 25 years.''
Catherine Dorleac was born in Paris. Both her mother and father were actors.
``There were four girls, four sisters,'' she said. ``We were like Jo March and the `Little Women' - very close. The family is still very close.''
Her sister, Francoise Dorleac (one year older) was already an international beauty and star when Catherine (who took her mother's maiden name as her screen identity) went into films.
Catherine Deneuve made her screen debut at age 13. Despite the patronage of director Roger Vadim, she did not achieve prominence until ``Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' in 1963.
``I was a very shy girl and I didn't really want to be in films,'' she said. ``Because my sister was in films, I was sent to talk to producers. It seems I was thrown into films almost immediately. I had to deal with all the technical things, which were a real challenge. At first, I thought moviemaking was to be a playland - a time for fantasy. I had to learn differently.''
She had a child by both Roger Vadim in 1963 and Marcello Mastroianni in 1972 but did not marry either.
``Not being married was never a problem to me,'' she said. ``I have a deep attachment to people I like. You can call it friendship. I call it love. I am very committed to the people I love, and that commitment does not have to be written on paper.''
She was married, briefly, to British photographer David Bailey. It ended in divorce.
``I have been married, but I don't have to live with that. My sister is married and that is well for her. For me, I feel the commitment has been as much, but I doubt I will ever marry again.''
Both her children are actors. Her son, 32, is a stage actor. Her daughter, Chiara Mastroianni, is 23 and appears with her in Manuel de Oliviera's upcoming film ``The Convent,'' co-starring John Malkovich. Chiara appeared with her father in Robert Altman's ``Ready to Wear'' (``Pret-a-Porter'') last year.
``When my children were little, I wanted to be with them more - not to work so much. Now that they are grown, I expected I would be free and want to work more. It is not true. When they are grown, you worry about them more,'' she said.
While actresses known for beauty often have trouble getting respect from critics, Deneuve never saw her striking looks as an obstacle.
``I am aware, yes, that my looks have been a major part of my career, but I used it. I used it quite well. It was more a help than a hindrance. Still, we hear about actresses who feel they are not respected because they are attractive. After Sharon Stone, I don't think we can worry anymore about beautiful actresses not being smart. She is very smart.
``I think it is a woman's job to be as attractive as possible. That is the beginning. From there, you go elsewhere. You need not be dull.''
She worries that some of her recent films weren't released in the United States.
``The French film industry is troubled more by politics than by the language problem,'' she said. ``We simply do not export enough French films. We must learn that we can not survive just with France.''
She does not regret her venture into Hollywood films, which resulted in ``April Fools'' with Jack Lemmon in 1970 and ``Hustle'' with Burt Reynolds in 1975. ``I liked very much doing the films in Hollywood. I liked Burt Reynolds and Jack Lemmon. There were no problems. I spoke English well enough.
``But, on the other hand, I never was tempted to move from France. I would come back, but only to work. In Hollywood, there is a social center of actors that is like a colony. We don't have that in France. Hollywood is like a factory town - only movies. In France, I feel I am more in the real world.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
MIRAMAX FILMS
Catherine Deneuve in a scene from "Belle de Jour." The originial
film shocked audiences in 1967.
by CNB