How old was Brigitte Fossey in the film?

This Monday, November 25, 2024 at 8:55 p.m., Arte broadcasts Banned games by René Clément, a classic of French cinema which revealed the very young Brigitte Fossey. But actually, how old was she in the film? Tele-Leisure tells you everything.

Lovers of great classics of the seventh art, grab your remotes! This Monday, November 25, 2024 at 8:55 p.m., the Franco-German channel broadcasts Forbidden Gamesa cult film by René Clément, director of the masterpiece Is Paris burning? and awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1952 and the Oscar for best foreign film in 1953. Also available on the platform Arte.tvthis major work of French cinema remains unforgettable thanks to its music and the emblematic guitar piece by the Spaniard Narciso Yepes but also to the on-screen revelation of the very young Brigitte Fossey.

Banned games : what is it about?

For the youngest among you who have not yet seen this masterpiece of French cinema, Banned games tells the fate of Paulette, a little girl who lost her parents during an air raid during the exodus of 1940. The little Parisian then begins to wander in the countryside, clutching the corpse of her little dog in her arms. At the edge of a stream, she meets Michel (Georges Poujouly), 11 years old, who takes her to his parents’ farm. A deep bond soon develops between the two children who exorcise the horror of everyday life through play and imagination.

How old was Brigitte Fossey in Forbidden Games ?

A true revelation on screen in Forbidden GamesBrigitte Fossey was only 5 and a half years old at the time of filming. A hell of a performance! Especially since the actress obtained the role thanks to a bet, as she recounted on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the film. “The character was made for a girl between 9 and 11 years old. My mother didn’t believe it at all, she and my aunt even bet 100 francs. (…) We arrived in Nice for the casting, there were around fifty girls and René Clément on a large table. He saw me and said ‘But you’re just a baby!’ and I replied: ‘I’m not a baby, I’m 5 years and three months!’ A respondent who convinced the director : “His assistant told him: ‘René, sit the little one!'”.