Bernadette Lafont, 1938–2013

Earlier today I heard the news that Bernadette Lafont passed away late last week. One of the key players of the French New Wave (and beyond), Lafont first came to prominence in Les Mistons, François Truffaut’s wonderful short from 1957 which directly led on to his era-defining The 400 Blows. Lafont was a common figure in the early days of the Nouvelle Vague, featuring in Claude Chabrol’s Le Beau Serge, before becoming a dominant acting presence in the period which followed the New Wave, appearing in Jacques Rivette’s Out 1 and Jean Eustache’s The Mother And The Whore. These four career highlights in themselves mark out a remarkable career in the French cinema, but that’s merely the tip of the iceberg. RIP.

Ginette Vincendeau’s obituary over at the BFI’s website does Lafont greater service than I ever could.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne0OS9s8NNs&w=560&h=315]