Anna Karina
For the Tolstoy novel see Anna Karenina.Anna Karina (born
Hanna Karin Blarke Bayer September 22,
1940) is a
Danish born
film actress. Her father was a ship's captain. Before Anna turned one, he had left her mother. After being raised by her maternal grandparents, where she stayed until the age of four, she spent time in and out of foster homes, before returning to live with her mother from the age of eight. She has described her childhood as "terribly wanting to be loved" and made numerous attempts as a child to run away from home. She began her career in
Denmark, where she sang in cabarets and worked as a model playing in commercials and short films. She came to
Paris in 1958 at age 17 where she met
Pierre Cardin and
Coco Chanel, who convinced her to change her name to
Anna Karina. As a rising fashion model, she was noticed by
Jean-Luc Godard then a film critic for the
Cahiers du cinéma. Her first film appearance, although unauthorized, dates from 1959, when a soap advertisement in which she appeared as a model was included near the end of
Guy Debord's
On the Passage of a Few Persons Through a Rather Brief Unity of Time. The image was accompanied by Debord's voice-over "The advertisements during intermissions are the truest reflection of an intermission from life." According to Godard's biographer, Colin Macabe, Godard was in the middle of casting his debut feature film
A bout de souffle Breathless that same year when he saw Karina in a series of
Palmolive ads in a bath covered in soapsuds. He offered her an important part in the film, which she turned down because of a nude scene. When Godard questioned her about her refusal, referring to the supposed nudity in the Palmolive ads she is said to have replied "Are you mad? I was fully clothed in those ads â€" the soapsuds went up to my neck. It was in your mind that I was undressed." The character Godard had reserved for her did not appear in the film. However, she eventually accepted his offer to play a major role in
Le Petit Soldat (
1960). Godard and Karina married on 3 March 1961 during the shooting of
Une femme est une femme (they were divorced in
1968). The marriage was covered by
Paris Match where a smiling Anna Karina embraced the cover dating from 25 March 1961.Anna Karina was awarded best actress at the
Berlin Film Festival in
1961 for her interpretation of the character Angela in the film
Une femme est une femme. Her acting career was not however limited to Godard's films, and she went on to a successful collaboration with other well-known directors. Her role in
Suzanne Simonin, la Religieuse de Diderot (
1967) by
Jacques Rivette is considered by some as her best performance. She also acted in
Luchino Visconti's
L'Etranger.
In
1973 she made her directing debut in
Vivre Ensemble in which she also acted. She wrote and acted in
Last Song in
1987. More recently, she appeared in
Haut, Bas, Fragile (
1995) by
Jacques Rivette and sang in
The Truth About Charlie.
Anna Karina has also maintained an important singing career. At the beginning of the
1960s, she scored a major hit with "
Sous le soleil exactement" and "
Roller Girl", both songs taken from the musical comedy "Anna" by
Serge Gainsbourg in which she sings seven songs alongside Serge Gainsbourg and
Jean-Claude Brialy. More recently, she recorded an album entitled "
Une histoire d'amour" with
Philippe Katerine, which was followed up by a concert tour. Anna Karina has also written a novel and made several appearances on television.
Moi CĂ©sar, 10 ans 1/2, 1m39 (2003)
The Truth About Charlie (2002)
Nom de code: Sacha (2001)
Haut, bas, fragile (1995)
Manden der ville være skyldig (1990)
L'oeuvre au noir (1988)
Cayenne Palace (1987)
Dernier été à Tanger (1987)
Last Song (1987)
Blockhaus USA (1986)
Treasure Island (1985)
Ave Maria (1984)
L'Ami de Vincent (1983)
Regina Roma (1982)
Ausgerechnet Bananen (1980)
Historien om en moder (1979)
Olyan mint otthon (1978)
Chaussette surprise (1978)
Chinesisches Roulette (1976)
Les Oeufs brouillés (1976)
L'Assassin musicien (1975)
L'Invenzione di Morel (1974)
Pane e cioccolata (1973)
Vivre ensemble (1973)
The Salzburg Connection (1972)
Carlos (1971)
Rendez-vous Ă Bray (1971)
L'Alliance (1971)
Le Temps de mourir (1970)
Laughter in the Dark (1969)
Justine (1969)
Michael Kohlhaas - Der Rebell (1969)
Before Winter Comes (1969)
The Magus (1968)
Lamiel (1967)
Zärtliche Haie (1967)
Lo Straniero (1967)
Le Plus vieux métier du monde (1967)
Made in U.S.A. (1966)
La Religieuse (1966)
De l'amour (1965)
Le Soldatesse (1965)
Pierrot le fou (1965)
Alphaville, une Ă©trange aventure de Lemmy Caution (1965)
La Ronde (1964)
Le Voleur de Tibidabo (1964)
Bande Ă part (1964)
Dragées au poivre (1963)
Un mari Ă un prix fixe (1963)
Le Petit soldat (1963)
Les Quatre vérités (1962)
Shéhérazade (1962)
Le Soleil dans l'oeil (1962)
Cléo de 5 à 7 (1962)
Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux (1962)
She'll Have to Go (1962)
Une femme est une femme (1961)
Ce soir ou jamais (1960)
Pigen og skoene (1959)
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Anna Karina Webpage*
FilmSirens Anna Karina*
Classic Movies (1939 - 1969): Anna Karina
