Anny Duperey, artist in balance or the story of a whirlwind life.

Popular actress, as well known in cinema as in theater or television, Anny Duperey has taken over the years a unique place in the world of the Arts: that of an active woman, with repartee, but always the generosity of a big heart emptied in his childhood by the sudden disappearance of his parents. A documentary is dedicated to him.

Anny Duperey is a bit like our own Jamie Lee Curtis.

A “beautiful plant” which does not mince its words, a seed of freedom pushed, by a wind of vital force, from Rouen to Paris.

Sylvie Gauthier, producer

Invited at a very young age to play the roles of female foil, Anny has taken over the years a unique place in our personal cinema: that of a woman who does not let herself be fooled, with repartee.
However, is it so easy to grasp, to define? Can we be at the same time an 8-year-old girl terrified of heights, a film actress smiling at photographers, the mother of a wonderful family, the lover of one of the greatest actors of her generation, a photographer? who her father would not have disowned, a trained painter, a cheeky cabaret singer, a trapeze artist without a net… A writer!

The list of Anny’s “gifts” is long. All her life, she looked after them, like one keeps small pebbles in a secret box. Perhaps because she has practical sense, as a girl from a modest background: in life, you have to know how to do everything. She denies nothing, regrets nothing. Wouldn’t Anny Duperey’s life be a game of hide and seek with the shadow that has been chasing her since she was eight? Or the prism of a kaleidoscope which would define what a woman-artist in balance can be?

For more than 40 years, she has decided to live part of her time in Creuse, in a house restored by the man with whom she shared a long and beautiful period of her life, Bernard Giraudeau.

If her children have invested little in the place, today, she is happy to see that her grandchildren are making this haven of peace and greenery their own. Anny Duperey visited the arboretums and nurseries of Creuse to plant more than 180 different species of trees and shrubs.

It is here, far from the tumult of Parisian life, that she likes to write, to rest between two plays or two film shoots.

Leafing through the album of memories of Anny Duperey’s life is not enough to know her. This is how the idea of ​​devoting a documentary film to him was born.

The co-producer and director of the film agreed to say more.

3 questions for Sylvie Gauthier, producer

• How was the idea of ​​devoting a documentary to Anny Duperey born? ?

The advantage of producing is being able to choose the artists you like!

Anny Duperey is a woman and an artist who I really like. She is an actress who is both elegant and popular, and she is also a writer who knows how to touch our hearts. I knew that Ninon Brétécher, with whom I have already worked twice, knew her. We went to her house to offer her this film. At first, she was surprised, but finally, she let us follow her… and that takes some breathing room!

• Anny Duperey’s life is extremely rich, in what way did you work to be able to tell a story, her story in 52 minutes?

We followed our intuition. I often produce portraits of artists. It’s always a challenge for directors to fit everything into 52 minutes! But I have the feeling that it is a beautiful way of sharing culture, without emphasis, through unique and authentic life stories. That of Anny Duperey is, in several respects. Anny’s life is a bit like our story: the successful films of the 70s and 80s, the great TV sagas, a fascinating couple… and then a shock when discovering her personal story in The black veil. I think the most important thing is to look for what touches us. Not to make a biography, but to say who this person is, in our opinion, what emanates from them.

• What was your role in the distribution of work with Ninon Brétécher, the director of the film? ?

I try to support the directors as best as possible. Depending on the film, the subject is different.

Here, Ninon really focused on the filming. Anny has a whirlwind life and we shouldn’t lose sight of her! For my part, I did research in the archives, so that Ninon and her editor, Frédérique Leroy, had material. We then talked, as always for me, during the editing and writing of the comments. The very efficient production team of my co-producer, 13Prods, allowed me to free myself from other tasks, fortunately. It’s teamwork!

Discover below some extracts from the documentary Anny Duperey, artist in balance:

3 questions to Ninon Brétécher, director

• What do you remember from the filming of this documentary which took place over several months? ?

What I remember from this shoot is that Anny leads her life and her projects at full speed, always seeking consistency, honesty with herself, her partners, her readers. , from the public.

• How did you manage to gain Anny Duperey’s trust and make her privacy accessible? ?

I staged Anny a few years ago at the Théâtre Edouard VII, in a text by her entitled “Les chats de chance”. We learned to work together, a pleasure!

When we proposed the project of this film about her, Anny burst out laughing, surprised, amused, modest.

Ninon Brétécher, director

Because it is a permanent paradox with her: Anny gives herself up entirely in her roles, in her books, during her meetings with the public, but there remains an element of restraint, or modesty. The filming took place over a year. The sequences in Creuse, in her writing shed, were the matrix of a profound and joyful word, like her.

• What is the moment that most marked you as a director?

As a director, the moments that most marked me were those filmed at the Theater, before the performances. Because meetings on stage mobilize her in all her power! See her warm up, joke with her partners, concentrate and meet the public every evening, 1000 spectators! It was very strong. Then film her responding to the spectators who were waiting for her at the exit of the theater. It really is his house!

The documentary Anny Duperey, artist in balance directed by Ninon Brétécher and co-produced by Popfilms, 13PRODS and France Télévisions, with the participation of the Center national du cinéma et de l’image animated, is the subject of a preview screening in presence of Anny Duperey, Tuesday January 21 at 8 p.m. at the Espace André Lejeune in Guéret.

Free entry, reservation recommended at the following address: [email protected] or by clicking here.

It will be broadcast on Thursday January 23 at 10:50 p.m. on France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine and available for free for 30 days on the france.tv platform.