I know I said a while back that I would try to do at least a monthly post on a person that I admire or find inspiring, and I haven’t been keeping my word. I last wrote about Lee Miller, whose exhibit I saw at the Legion of Honor here in San Francisco last year actually. It was a truly amazing experience, and I hope that some of you were able to make it to the exhibit. It was actually an exhibit highlighting Miller’s and Man Ray’s relationship.
This month’s all about Anna Karina, the Danish-French actress. Anyone who knows about my love for French New Wave film knows that I adore her. Known as an actress, a great beauty, and somewhat of a style icon, she has also written a few books and directed a couple films. Unfortunately, I’ve found it somewhat difficult to find some of her post-Godard movies, for some reason, but I enjoy her in all of the films she made with her first husband. Anna Karina was born Hanne Karen Blarke Bayer in Copenhagen, Denmark on September 22, 1940. The daughter of a dress shop owner and a ship captain, she was in and out of foster care for much of her childhood. She grew up learning dance and painting, so she was certainly an artistic young woman. When she finally went back to living with her mother, their relationship became rocky. After years of not getting along with one another, Anna stopped living with her mother and hitchhiked her way to Paris at the age of 18 in 1958.
Paris life was not lacking in hardship, as she did not speak the language and had nowhere to live. Living on the streets allowed her to eventually find her way to her future career, as with a stroke of luck, she came across a woman who worked in advertisement who asked her to model for some pictures. It wasn’t long until she became a fashion model, giving her a chance to meet people like Coco Chanel. After changing her name to Anna Karina professionally (with the help of Chanel) she became a successful model and sought out film roles. Jean-Luc Godard, in the process of making his debut film Breathless, was looking for a young actress who could play a short nude scene in the film. He came across Anna in a series of ads for Palmolive, in which she was sitting in a bathtub, purportedly naked, covered in soapsuds. When he approached her about the part, she refused the offered role because of the nudity, which left Godard rather confused. “Are you mad?” she told him. “I was wearing a bathing suit in those ads–the soapsuds went up to my neck. It was in your mind that I was undressed.”
Although one would think that after being told off in such a way would mean the end of the story, it did not deter Godard from coming back the following year to offer her a role in Le Petit Soldat (1960). Despite being a not so experienced actress, she played the lead female role. Unfortunately, the film wasn’t released until three years later, due to its controversial political themes and depiction of torture. Nevertheless, Anna was on her way to becoming the Queen of the Nouvelle Vague. In the following years, she acted in eight of Godard’s films, including Une Femme Est Une Femme (1961), Vivre Sa Vie (1962), and Pierrot Le Fou (1965), finding her place as Godard’s muse.
from Band A Part (Band of Outsiders)
Jean-Luc and Anna
She married Godard in 1961 during the making of Une Femme Est Une Femme. The marriage ended in divorce in 1965, but they still managed to make a couple more films together afterwards. After ending their collaborations, Anna moved on to working with filmmakers like Jacques Rivette, Luchino Visconti, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
In 1967, she starred in a TV musical written by Serge Gainsbourg called Anna. Gainsbourg wrote for her the hits “Sous le Soleil Exactement” and “Roller Girl.” The lucky Anna sang songs alongside Serge Gainsbourg and her co-star, Jean-Claude Brialy, with whom she had worked on Une Femme Est Une Femme. If you ever get a chance to watch Anna, I really recommend it, especially if you’re a big fan of both Serge Gainsbourg and Anna Karina. It even features a cameo by Marianne Faithfull. A copy of it is hard to come by, and I somehow found a non-subtitled version of it on YouTube years ago, so you might still be able to find it on there.
from Pierrot Le Fou (1965)
“All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl.” — Jean-Luc Godard
Anna Karina’s style has certainly become influential over the years. At a time when Brigitte Bardot’s sex kitten persona was all the rage, Anna’s brunette good looks appealed to the art-house movie goer. Her famous bangs and cat eye makeup made her recognizable and unique.
“Have you seen a girl who looks like a film in Technicolor?”
from Anna (1967)
Anna’s charm and emotional performances have made her into an icon, most notably in her work with Godard. Although she has been successful in her other work, one will always link her with the French New Wave and Godard’s films. After all, they were a powerhouse couple, him with his brilliant writing and directing, and her with her intelligent acting performances and on-screen loveliness. And she continues to hold an important place in cinematic history.
Recent picture of Anna
One Too Many Mornings and a Thousand Miles Behind 
July 1, 2013 at 2:00 pm
I thought she was Danish not Dutch..
July 1, 2013 at 8:46 pm
You’re absolutely right, and I knew that but I had been writing so fast I didn’t even notice I had typed “Dutch” instead of “Danish.” Thanks for pointing it out, I’ve corrected it : )