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#1 2010-07-14 07:46:06
- Rip Rig & Panic
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Icons of Cool: Jean-Paul Belmondo
My second time in Paris, I was round the corner from where he lives, browsing at one of those bookstalls by the river. Puzzled shakings of the head in bookshops, however, when I enquired after a biography. They'd never heard of Alain Delon, either. Paris can be... well... a tad naff... in that respect...
Did he invent - or refine - the Gallic shrug? Did he ever really wear Paraboot? Did he ever get to kiss Jean Seberg?
#2 2010-07-14 08:00:34
- nouvelle vague
- A Distillation of Ivy Inspiration.
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Re: Icons of Cool: Jean-Paul Belmondo
Last edited by nouvelle vague (2010-07-14 08:02:34)
'Jean-Paul Sartre and john lee hooker'
#4 2010-07-22 16:20:01
- ParsonOban
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Re: Icons of Cool: Jean-Paul Belmondo
Have to admit he would get on my nerves for a long time, probably due to the sideburns 
but later grew on me. The Selvedge Yard did a feature on Belmondo a while ago, so here's the link to save myself the trouble of posting pics
https://theselvedgeyard.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/tsy-style-hall-of-fame-frenchman-jean-paul-belmondo/
#5 2021-10-01 05:43:45
- A Fine Sadness
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Re: Icons of Cool: Jean-Paul Belmondo
My third time in Paris, someone down by the river told me Belmondo was seriously ill and rather reclusive. Not mad keen on that phase of French and Italian cinema in terms of technique and story-telling - but what fabulous images. I wanted to be there, projected back in time. Gorey felt a great affinity with Paris circa 1920 just by studying those great black and white photographs of the traffic. Paris or Rome? An impossible choice?
#6 2021-10-01 09:45:09
- Yuca
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Re: Icons of Cool: Jean-Paul Belmondo
Classe tous risques came out I think at around the same time as A bout de souffle, and apparently it was nowhere near as successful as the latter, but for me it's one of Belmondo's best. He has some extremely stylish outfits, plus the friendship between him and a doomed Ventura is wonderful. Honour amongst thieves - a common theme in French noirs.
And has anyone ever played the part of a cold-blooded professional criminal better than Ventura? I think not.
some sort of banal legitimacy
#7 2021-10-01 18:10:16
- Tworussellstreet
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Re: Icons of Cool: Jean-Paul Belmondo
My favourite French film is Rififi. I do wish Jean-Paul had been in it. Love him in Pierrot Le Fou, the mythical French Ivy look much in evidence there.
#8 2021-10-01 18:20:46
- Yuca
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Re: Icons of Cool: Jean-Paul Belmondo
There's a Mexican spoof of Rififi which is quite amusing. I can't recall the title, haven't seen it for years and am a long way from my copy of the dvd but I do recall they do a funny version of the famous silent scene. As I said elsewhere though, for me Rififi is good but not one of my absolute favourite French films of the period.
And I think I found Pierrot Le Fou literally unwatchable. (One man's meat is another man's poison.)
Belmondo is very good in Le doulos, although even by my standards that is one dark film.
Last edited by Yuca (2021-10-01 18:21:56)
some sort of banal legitimacy