From Perversion to Purity The Stardom of Catherine Deneuve

by Downing, Lisa; Harris, Sue

• ISBN13: 9780719073397
• ISBN10: 0719073391
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-06-01
• Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PR

Summary

Catherine Deneuve is indisputably one of the world's most celebrated actresses, both in her native France and throughout the world. Her career has spanned five decades during which she has worked with the most significant of French auteurs, as well as forging partnerships with international directors such as Bunuel and Polanski. The Deneuve star persona has attained such iconic status that it now symbolises the very essence of French womanhood and civic identity. In this wide-ranging and authoritative collection of essays by a selection of international film academics and writers, the Deneuve persona is scrutinized and illuminated. Beyond the glamorous iconographic status of Yves Saint Laurent's muse, and the epitome of sexual inviolability, Deneuve's status as actress is foregrounded. The book will be essential reading for students and lecturers in star studies.

Author Biography

Lisa Downing is Professor of French and Director of the Centre for the Interdisciplinary Study of Sexuality and Gender in Europe at the University of Exeter. Sue Harris is a Reader in French Cinema Studies at Queen Mary, University of London.

Table of Contents

Introduction --Lisa Downing and Sue Harris * Polanski’s Deneuve. ‘Frigidity’ and Feminism --Lisa Downing * Buñuel Blonde --Peter William Evans * Demy and Deneuve: The Princess and the post 68 Fairytale * Susan Weiner * Deneuve’s Italian Interludes --Pauline Small * Incongruous Femininity: Catherine Deneuve and 1970s Political Culture --Bridget Birchall *  ‘Madame La France’: Deneuve as Heritage Icon --Sue Harris Of Faces and roles: Deneuve/Téchiné --Bill Marshall * Deneuve in the 1990s --Cristina Johnsn *  The Killing of Sister Catherine: Deneuve’s Lesbian Transformation --Andrew Asibong * Belle Toujours : Deneuve as Fashion icon --Fiona Handyside