One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
French cinema star and Oscar nominee Anouk Aimee dies at 92
Listen
1:57
French cinema star and Oscar nominee Anouk Aimee dies at 92
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The French cinema star Anouk Aimee was considered one of the most alluring women on film. She was in more than 70 films before her retirement and was nominated for an Oscar for best actress for her performance in the 1966 movie "A Man And A Woman." She died at the age of 92 yesterday. NPR's Elizabeth Blair has this appreciation.
ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE: When it comes to iconic French screen stars, Anouk Aimee was more reserved than, say, Brigitte Bardot, says Laure Astourian, an assistant professor at Bentley University and author of a new book about French film.
LAURE ASTOURIAN: Where Bardot was all sunshine, bikinis, and that kind of film, Anouk Aimee was known for her mysterious aura, her dark hair and eyes. There's a lot of emotion, but it's contained.
BLAIR: Even when Aimee starred as a playful, seductive cabaret singer in a seaside town, she's got a kind of sophistication. The film was "Lola" by French New Wave director Jacques Demy.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "LOLA")
ANOUK AIMEE: (As Lola, speaking French).
Sponsored message
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character, speaking French).
AIMEE: (As Lola, speaking French).
BLAIR: Anouk Aimee was born Nicole Francoise Florence Dreyfus in Paris in 1932. Her family was Jewish. When German troops occupied the city, her family sent her to the countryside to keep her safe. She also changed her name. When she was a teenager, she took Anouk from one of the first movie characters she played. Astourian says it was screenwriter and poet Jacques Prevert who gave her the name Aimee.
ASTOURIAN: He's the one who told her that, you know, Anouk isn't enough. When you're 40, you can't just say, my name is Anouk. You need a surname. And he gave her Aimee, which means loved. He said it was because everyone loved her.
BLAIR: Anouk Aimee says she learned the most about acting from Federico Fellini. She starred in his movies "La Dolce Vita" and "8 1/2." She said he taught her not to take herself too seriously and to listen.
Elizabeth Blair, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
