Overview

Fanny Ardant is an enigma. Until recently, she had managed to attain international prominence even though most of her films have been obscure art house ventures that had eluded audiences over the years. Had she been better known to audiences worldwide as François Truffaut's muse and for her beauty and elegance than for her films?

The two Truffaut films, La Femme d'à côté (The Woman Next Door) and Vivement dimanche! (Confidentially Yours), in the early 1980's gave her international recognition and boosted her career. But for the better part of the 1980's and early 1990's, she mostly appeared in films that floated below the radar of film-goers outside of France and Europe...giving solid performances in intriguing but obscure films; and occasionally receive top billing for supporting roles by lending her name to small art house films (such as the British Afraid Of The Dark).

Whether they were conscious choices or accidents, she cultivated her serious and mysterious image by appearing in films such as Resnais' La vie est un roman; the highly philosophical but depressing L'Amour à mort, the unusually stagy Mélo; the Italian drama Paura e amore; Australia with Jeremy Irons...and often playing elegant aristocrats in French costume dramas.

The mid-1990's signaled a new phase, at least by my definition and judgment. Her film roles started to become more eclectic. Perhaps it's no accident that these films were made after she had turned 40. And luckily, for her fans, Fanny Ardant lives in Europe where actresses over 40 and 50 are treated with equal -- perhaps even greater -- respect.

While films such as Vivement dimanche! -- made in 1983 and one of my favourites -- had shown that she can play comedy as well as serious drama, it was not until the mid-1990's that her versatility received the kind of attention and recognition that she deserved. With roles in films such as the offbeat comedy Pédale douce, the period comedy/drama Ridicule, and even the small role she had in the highly acclaimed Elizabeth, Fanny let it be known that she can play more than tragic heroines in serious dramas.

More important, her roles reflect the charm, attraction and depth of women over 40 and 50. It is also ironic that one of her most attention-grabbing and popular roles is the light comedy 8 femmes, where she (at the age of 52) plays against-type and gives a very convincing performance as the liberated and sexy sister-in-law of Catherine Deneuve.

It is my opinion that the best is yet to come. The quality of her film roles is getting better with age, and she is only now approaching the height of her career in terms of depth and variety. She seems to be taking more chances, and one never knows what to expect from her next. That's the excitement!

Modern technology (in the forms of DVDs, multi-region players and online shopping) has made many of her films more accessible to fans outside of France. It is my hope that more fans around the world will (re)discover some of these wonderful gems.

The following reviews focus on Fanny Ardant's roles in these films from the perspective of her fan. My sincere apologies to her talented co-stars if they have been somewhat neglected in these reviews! 

~George Sand (FANNY ARDANT Online)

Film Reviews

• Callas Forever

• 8 femmes (8 Women)

• Le Colonel Chabert

• Vivement dimanche! (Confidentially Yours)

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