Film star Catherine Deneuve equated
Italy with beauty in praising the country during her attendance
on Wednesday evening at the Festival of Beauty in Verona.
"When I entered the Teatro Romano (Roman amphitheatre) I had
the feeling of total beauty," she said.
Along with film critic Gianni Canova and the festival's
editorial director, Alessandra Zecchini, the actress whose name
has long been associated with seduction in arthouse films spoke
about the contemporary scene and her career, relaying unique
anecdotes on encounters in her life that changed the course of
film history.
"I very much love Nanni Moretti," she said. "I follow him and
wait eagerly for his films to come out. But also the new
generation with Paolo Sorrentino, Matteo Garrone and Luca
Guadagnino. Italian cinema is still very much alive."
She added that "I think that European cinema is always very
important. It deals with very strong subject matter and this was
seen at the last Cannes Film Festival with Christophe Honoré's
film, which did not win any prizes but which dealt with the
difficult issue of homosexuality. It is a very beautiful love
story. We can expect a great deal from French cinema."
The actress then discussed her upcoming projects.
"I have just shot a film with André Téchiné. In two weeks I
will begin to work in France with Cédric Kahn, and then in
October with Kore'eda, a Japanese director that I absolutely
adore and who just won the Cannes Palme d'Or."
On her long and successful career, Deneuve said that "in
Truffaut's 'La Sirène du Mississipi', there was no written
script, which made everything difficult. It was an incredible
experience because he loved the actors very much. He was
attentive and close to them, with such intensity."
She also had unique anecdotes on Luis Buñuel, who directed
her in 'Belle de Jour', which won the Golden Lion at the Venice
Film Festival in 1967, with Deneuve's acting rated one of the
best in the history of film.
"Working with Buñuel was special. He wanted the scenes to be
done as described in the screenplay. When I saw it, I realized
that it had more to do with the fantasies of my character, which
later became a reference point for psychoanalysts on the issue
of sexism. I never imagined it would become a classic."
The fifth Festival of Beauty of Verona is drawing to a close
with the final events: on June 7 there will be philosopher and
former Venice mayor Massimo Cacciari at Teatro Filarmonico and
musician Morgan's orchestral tribute to late singer-songwriter
Fabrizio De Andrè at Teatro Romano, on June 8-9 there will be
concerts by Bosnian musician Goran Bregovic and band Elio e le
Storie Tese, and the closing event will be in June 10 with
pianist Stefano Bollani.
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