Isabelle Adjani is undoubtedly one of the most emblematic figures of French cinema. Since her debut at the age of 14, she has left her mark on the seventh art with these complex and often tragic characters. During her career, the actress obtained five Césars for best actresswhich makes her the French woman most awarded by the Academy.
Revealed at the Comédie Française, thanks to her roles in theWomen's school et Ondine, Isabelle Adjani made a sensational entrance into the hearts of the public in 1974 with the movie The Slap by Claude Pinoteau, with Lino Ventura. She plays a young medical student who flees her father's home after receiving a slap, to join her mother in England. The film is a hit at the cinema and the young actress then tastes fame.
It is also thanks to this film that she will be spotted by the director François Truffaut, who will offer him to play the title role of The Story of Adèle H. The director of the Nouvelle Vague even said of her: “She's the only actress who made me cry. I was convinced that we had to film her every day, even on Sundays.” It was the start of an irresistible rise for the young actress.
His first two Césars thanks to “Possession” and “Murderous Summer”
In 1981, Isabelle Adjani gave an intense and disturbing performance in the thriller Possession d’Andrzej Żuławskiwhich transcends the genre of psychological horror. She plays Anna, a woman in the grip of a family and personal crisis, delivering a performance that earns her her first César for best actress.
Two years later, she obtained her second César thanks to her character of Éliane in the film The Deadly Summer Jean Becker. His on-screen partner is none other thanAlain Souchon. At her side, the actress shows another side of her talent: funny and provocative. “I threw myself into the water,” she confided on RTL in 1983. “When you have a role so lively, so rich, where you can play everything, your emotions, your body, your memories and then unknown things.
It is one of his most memorable performances, crowned with 5 million cinema admissions, even if Adjani hesitated for a long time before accepting the role.
“Camille Claudel”, “Queen Margot”, “Skirt Day”
Five years later, in 1988, Isabelle Adjani invested her heart and soul in the adaptation of the biography of Camille Claudel. She bought the rights and carried out this project in which she brilliantly embodies the sculptor dominated by her passion and her despair. Againit offers a rich palette of emotions to illustrate the inner struggles of a woman artist in a world governed by patriarchal conventions. This masterful interpretation brought him a third Caesar.
Now accustomed to major roles, it is no surprise that we find Adjani in 1994 in Queen Margot. In this historical film by Patrice Chéreau, Isabelle Adjani plays Marguerite de Valois, a woman torn between family duty and personal aspirations during the wars of religion in France. In this role, she appears to be noble, vulnerable and passionate at the same timeleaving an indelible mark on the cinema of the time. Again, Queen Margot earned her the César for best actress.
After a return to the theater and an absence from filming for six years, Isabelle Adjani returned in 2008 with Skirt Day. A TV film that deals with school violence and female emancipation. The star plays a French teacher who takes her class hostage. A role that will bring him a fifth Caesaran unrivaled record in French cinema.
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