Deneuve spreads her Gallic charm
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Like Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor, Catherine Deneuve is better known for her radiant beauty than setting the screen on fire with her acting fireworks, especially outside her native France.
Once given the honor of being the model for Marianne, the symbol of her homeland, Deneuve is often held up as the epitome of feminine beauty by noted photographers, and is the muse of her friend, the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.
The focus on her physical attributes belies the fact that she is one of the most productive French actresses, barely taking a hiatus from film production since she started her career in 1960.
There have been several international forays, such as the cult classic The Hunger with David Bowie and Susan Sarandon; notable among her recent screen outings was 2000's Dancer in the Dark by Danish director Lars Von Trier, in which Deneuve acted alongside pop star Bjork.
In conjunction with the screening of 2002's Au Plus Pres Du Paradis (Closest to Heaven), which she starred in, Deneuve made a brief visit to the capital last week, before heading to Bali for a vacation.
She appeared fashionably chic in a white suit and pants at a media conference here, her thick blonde hair now short, beautiful but not in an intimidating way.
Speaking in both French and English, she lacked any diva attitude, instead displaying a Gallic nonchalance with a cigarette twirling between her fingers.
That prompted a question, and Deneuve admitted she felt responsible when women took up smoking after being influenced by their film idols.
"I feel responsible, I try not to smoke so much and slow down," said Deneuve, 61.
But she found the move to ban smoking in films in the United States to be a great hypocrisy.
"What about alcohol? There's a greater danger in it (than smoking), and now people who drink are getting younger, yet drinking in film is not banned."
Unlike some of her peers, she is not content to sit on the political sidelines.
In fact, she is an activist whose causes include HIV/AIDS, cancer and combating drug abuse, as well as helping abandoned children.
She has been a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO, is involved with Amnesty International as well as campaigning in favor of women's rights, including on the right to abortion, but against capital punishment, which she does not consider a deterrent to crime.
"It seems as though there is a step back in the rights of women even in developed countries," she said of women's rights. "Therefore, women have to always be aware and careful."
As for capital punishment, she said: "I ask the countries who are still practicing it to reconsider the death sentence. It's a barbaric act. There's no guarantee that crime will be abolished with the death sentence. Even if somebody killed someone, the death sentence is not a positive answer."
Although she can talk the talk on such controversial issues, Deneuve is still a Parisian girl at heart, who loves to talk about fashion, and her friendship with Saint Laurent.
"He has such amazing intuition and talent. We collaborated on several films where he handled the costumes. You see costumes for the actor is, like, the first element in immersing oneself in a character. And he did it brilliantly."
She confessed that she loves to spend on fashion.
"I love the term chic because it's for everyone, very personal. It doesn't take a luxurious outfit to be chic. I love it because now fashion is more democratic, it reaches out to everyone."
However, Deneuve is not in favor of another fashion -- the nip/tuck.
"I'm realistic, I won't go against time. Let's just be natural and don't act against nature. When my time passes, so be it."
She was born Catherine Dorleac to actor parents; Deneuve is her mother's maiden name, and her elder sister, Francoise, who died in a car crash in 1967, was also an actor.
She made her film debut in 1960 with several films, but her breakthrough came in 1964 with the highly acclaimed musical Le Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg), followed by the psychological horror movie Repulsion, directed by Roman Polanski.
She has worked with several noted European directors, such as Polanski, Francois Truffaut, Luis Bunuel, Raoul Ruiz and Manuel Oliveira, in diverse roles, from several of ordinary women, to one losing her mind (Repulsion) to a bored rich housewife who turns tricks during the day (Bunuel's Belle de Jour).
Other highlights from her career include Le Dernier Metro, for which she won France's Cesar award in 1980, and later Indochine (1992), the tale of life in colonial Vietnam which brought her an Academy Award nomination.
The plodding Au Plus Pres Du Paradis may not be her best work, but the film shoot was quite memorable as it had been scheduled to be shot in New York City when the 9/11 tragedy happened.
"It's a romantic comedy, but it was difficult to get in the mood because of the situation. We also needed to relocate to Canada, building a New York setting in a studio there."
Deneuve's latest film Les Temps Qui Changent (The Changing Time), directed by Deneuve's longtime friend Andre Techine and costarring Gerard Depardieu, is due out in France on Dec. 15.
She said there was no stopping her from working in films.
"I'm not 100 percent content with my career, it's still moving on. But so far I like the films that I've done, I'm happy because many people appreciate them.
"There is no special plan, but there are projects for upcoming movies."