It's been a little overwhelming looking at all the gowns on display at Cannes but before we get 10 whole days behind, let's celebrate the Gallic glory of French actresses. The 70th Anniversary Cannes party that the festival threw itself in the middle of its week long party had the biggest collection of international stars imaginable including these nine giants of French cinema after the jump...
Huppert, Deneuve, Cotillard, Binoche
Isabelle Huppert, Catherine Deneuve, Marion Cotillard, and Juliette Binoche would surely be on anyone's shortlist of Biggest French Stars of all time. (Including yours, right? Tell us who you'd add for a perfect batch of 5-10 in the comments!) They were all there for the 70th bash in these lovely gowns.
TRIVIA: Only Huppert and Binoche have won Best Actress at their home country's most prestigious event. Binoche for Certified Copy (2010) and Huppert twice for Violette (1978) and The Piano Teacher (2002). Deneuve (one of the greatest movie stars of all time, from any country, if you ask me) has had to settle for two special prizes during the Aughts. All four of them have been Oscar nominated with Cotillard and Binoche both winning and getting a second nomination as cherry on top. They've all won Best Actress Césars as well: Huppert for both La Ceremonie (1995) and Elle (2016), Deneuve for both The Last Metro (1980) and Indochine (1992), Cotillard for both A Very Long Engagement (2004 *supporting*) and La Vie En Rose (2007), and Binoche for her incredibly mysterious and altogether sensational work in Trois Coleurs: Bleu (1993)
Ledoyen, Exarchopoulos, Béart, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Maïwenn
With Virginia Ledoyen and Emmanuelle Béart (♥︎ one of my earliest foreign actress obsessions via Manon of the Spring) both at the same fest as Deneuve and Huppert we have half of an 8 Women (2002) reunion! Curse you Ludivine, Firmine, and Fanny for not showing up! Tell me what could possibly be more important than this event?! (Danielle Darrieux is excused despite being an indispensable member of that famous all-actress cast because she just turned 100 years old and centenarians aren't required to do anything they don't feel up to!)
Adele Exarchopoulus and Maïwenn both made time for the event as well they should. Finally a huge round of applause and welcome back to Dame Kristin Scott Thomas who had threatened to quite acting but finally got back to work last year so we'll be seeing the results soon. YES! (In case you were unaware, she's originally British but she's called France home since she was 19 and makes lots of French films)
In conclusion: VIVE LA FRANCE!
P.S. Two bonus Deneuve pics from the festival
With Charlotte Gainsbourg at the Women in Motion Dinner
With Andre Techine and Huppert at the premiere of "The Killing of a Sacred Deer"