Farewell to actress Anna Karina, muse of the New Wave

Actress Anna Karina, the muse and symbol of the New Wave, the French film movement of the 1950s founded by such great directors as François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Jacques Rivette, died today in Paris at the age of 79. Anna Karina, whose real name was Hanna Karin Blarke Bayer, was born in Solbjerg, Denmark, on September 22, 1940, and began her career in the theaters of her native country. At 18 she moved to France, where she met Pierre Cardin and Coco Chanel, who convinced her to change her name to Anna Karina and for whom she worked as a model. In Paris she was noticed by Godard, with whom she made her debut in 1960 in the film Le Petit Soldat, although the film would be released in 1963. After starring in Michel Delville’s Ce soir ou jamais, she returned to work for Godard in Une femme est une femme, where she starred alongside Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean-Claude Brialy. Anna Karina married Godard precisely in 1961 (the director was thirty-one years old at the time). For Une femme est une femme, she also received the odi best actress award at the Berlin Film Festival.

Her most famous performance is perhaps as the naïve Odile in 1964’s Bande à part (directed by Godard), a story of two French boys who plan a robbery in which the young woman ends up involved (the film is most famous for the scene of the Louvre run, with which the three protagonists try to break the record for the length of the museum visit). Anna Karina, in addition to Godard, has acted for great directors such as Luchino Visconti (in 1967’s The Stranger, André Delvaux(Rendez-vous à Bray, 1971) Franco Brusati(Bread and Chocolate, 1974), Jonathan Demme(The truth about Charlie, 2002). One directorial effort also stands out in his career: the 2008 film Victoria.

Other accolades, in addition to the aforementioned award at the Berlin Film Festival, include a César Award nomination as best supporting actress for Cayenne Palace, the honorary Mikeldi Award at the Bilbao Documentary and Short Film Festival, and the honorary Bodil Award.

Farewell to actress Anna Karina, muse of the New Wave

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