(Credits: Far Out / MUBI)
After establishing herself in the cinema of her native France alongside the likes Girlfriends, The Last Lover And Beautiful personLea Seydoux went to Hollywood, starting with supporting roles in films by Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott and Woody Allen.
But it was her role in the 2013 romantic drama Adbedlatif Kechisha. Blue is the warmest coloralso starring Adele Exarchopoulos, which was Seydoux’s breakthrough achievement, and from there she never looked back, appearing in a number of Wes Anderson films and a Bond girl film.
Seydoux has given many film fans their favorite moments of the last decade, but what about personal casting choices from cinema’s rich history? Luckily, we can get closer to Seydoux’s most beloved films thanks to the feature Le Cinema Clubin which she named her top five picks.
The first is On dangerous ground1951 film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino, based on the 1945 novel by Gerald Butler. Crazy with a big heart. “This is my favorite Ray film because of its moral point of view,” Seydoux said of the film: “How to do things by following your heart.”
Seydoux called her next choice “scary,” Eric Rohmer’s 1972 romantic comedy-drama. Love in the Afternoon, in which a wealthy Parisian feels the need to pursue other women despite being happily married to his wife. The film stars Zouzou and Bernard Varlet, and Seydoux believes that it shows what “mad love” is.
Romance certainly seems to be Seydoux’s favorite film genre as she continues the 1951 films. A place under the sundrama by George Stephen based on the 1925 novel by Theodore Dreiser. American tragedy. It tells the story of a young man who becomes romantically involved with two very different women. “It’s always an adventure with Stevens!” – Seydoux noted. “It feels like the film was shot very quickly because the passions in the film are so electric and dazzling.”
Seidou heads east in search of his next choice, Yasujiro Ozu’s 1959 film. Good morningbased on his 1932 silent film. I was born, but…. It is about two boys who pressure their parents to buy them a television, but face their resistance. Seydoux called Ozou “a great radical stylist.” He draws his characters as if they were in a Japanese print. And with incredible tenderness.”
The list is completed by a work by Charlie Chaplin. Child, a 1921 silent comedy-drama starring Chaplin as Jackie Coogan, is the film legend’s first feature film as a director. “Child “This is the vision of a child,” Seydoux noted, “the vision of a real filmmaker: simple, rough, sharp and tender.”
Five favorite films of Léa Seydoux:
- On dangerous ground (Nicholas Ray, 1951)
- Love in the Afternoon (Eric Romer, 1972)
- A place under the sun (George Stevens, 1951)
- Good morning (Yasujiro Ozu, 1959)
- Child (Charlie Chaplin, 1921)
