The Women Who Defined an Era

The New Wave and its aftermath produced a remarkable generation of actresses who challenged conventional notions of femininity on screen:

Françoise Dorléac (1942-1967), Catherine Deneuve's older sister, brought a vivacious energy to films like Truffaut's "The Soft Skin" (1964) and Polanski's "Cul-de-sac" (1966). Her tragic death in a car accident cut short what promised to be one of the great careers of French cinema.

Bulle Ogier became associated with the most experimental wing of French cinema. Her work with Jacques Rivette, particularly in "L'Amour fou" (1969) and later films, showed an actress willing to push boundaries and explore the furthest reaches of performance.

Bernadette Lafont brought an earthy sensuality to New Wave films. Her collaboration with Claude Chabrol, beginning with "Les Bonnes Femmes" (1960), created a series of memorable portraits of working-class women navigating a changing society.

Stéphane Audran, who married Claude Chabrol, became his primary muse and one of the era's most sophisticated actresses. Her cool elegance in films like "Les Biches" (1968) and "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie" (1972) defined a certain type of bourgeois femininity even as the films critiqued that very class.