Woman; 411; A Conversation with Jeanne Moreau. Part 1

Why why. Good evening and welcome.

My guest the internationally famous actress for the first time in her career has written and directed a film it's called and it's about women and their relationships. Welcome. Thank you. I was just watching you I thought you looked a little like portraits of just to tell me about. You say it's about women's relationships and the intimacy that they feel when they're alone together is that right. Yes. That's a desire to show that sort of relationship because remember the bed was made with you. And when I was offered to be in that film. I spoke with Julian and a man called Guy Yeah the script writer. We usually works a lot would bring it out and I was very excited by the idea of being together with you

and I like the idea of this close relationship these two women going through. Why this country not knowing anybody or anything. And building a real relationship together. And then finally when the final script was written I discovered that we were back to the old bullshit means that. I had more on point Dave. Maybe they thought the room nation should too simple or too boring. And then they constructed of sort of antagonism between these two women. And I found that so frustrating that. Just like that out of the blue as I said one day I'll make a film and I will try to show. The true real relationship I know between women.

I noticed at the time that the moon really was released in the time also before that when you were making the film. I think the press started to get into a rivalry or to me how exactly we were surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of photographers journalists. And each time we were speaking to one another and I was turning around the clock and you know that these tried to build an incredible story about that. I know where their real relationship during filming I mean was it cordial was there. Was there some intimacy between the two of you at the beginning there was an enormous intimacy that we accomplish city. But you see because she as letter self at that time you know I think she has changed. She was surrounded by a squadron of people like bull fighters you know secret rulers the makeup. And the head dress. Drive a personal advisor. And ancient love new

love. I mean it's as though she was surrounded by barbed wires. And when these people noticed that we were confident in one another and that we had fun. They resented me out of my reckoning to them. Exactly so after about. Eight and nine weeks they tried and they in a way they manage to all to relationship doing a why. And you know through exhaustion and very hard climate. At one point I thought that it would destroy any relationship between us. But as I told you before I'm very strong about that and I didn't want to be involved in all of that. So and it must've made you feel even stronger about wanting to do this film. Yes. I mean even thinking about that in retrospect Yes in retrospect

yes. But anyway to come back to Believe me I like her and she likes me though we don't see one another. And so to come back to the film. Besides that I've experienced a friendship with a woman. We have friends since 19 years. And so I wanted to make them as a present to her and pneumonia as a present to her. And it's a present to see Nima too because not only I want to just speak about women but I have real passion for films and since many years what struck you struck me it's that the way the families would net and related more themselves to craft and brilliancy in the way of handle the camera in the way of the editing. The

relationship with the camera and then the audience was more a sort of desire to manipulate the others then to be open to them you see what I mean. Yes it's easy to construct a dramatic movement just by being clever with your camera and that men can do because they have been allowed to handle a camera since many many many years and maybe they have lost that. Profound and fascinating. Feeling you have when you have a camera for the first time. Also did you quarrel with the images that were being projected to women. No I don't you know I just do just feel like doing things. I don't try to make statements you see what I mean. But Lumiere it's a

statement. It's what it's a statement but I didn't do it on purpose. See what I mean. Yes. I just wanted to show what I knew about it. And these women are actresses and they are in relation with life with their wood with the families with their lovers and their own relation with death. That's all it's about. I mean in fact the the the film starts on Monday it ends a Friday. There are certain weeks in one's life when things happen though daily life seems to be the same. Our problems our joys all the same. And then why do we don't know what fate describes truck doing something. And there is an event that grows and

explodes. And after that one knows that one will never be the same. And in the case of Newman Yeah one of SAVAK closest friend and then Sara is the role you play. Yes. A closest friend is in than he's a researcher you say in relating to a biologist. It's a cancer. He kills himself. And after that I'm sure that sours life will never be the same no mean that. She won't go on living. I don't mean she would be only surviving. No but I think that. You know. The first time of the life she is realizing the loss. Media close voted by death I guess

because you wrote the film did enormous speculation about its autobiographical qualities. And and I think I read a piece in Time magazine one in the New York Times and people are saying that Sarah is very much you. Do you see Sarah as being very much you know I mean even in films I haven't directed like Jules and Jim. People could say Catherine is very like me. And I can find pieces of me in many of the parts I've portrayed and maybe people thing that more clearly foreign to me yeah because I wrote the script and I directed it and I played the part. But I think that any create any person or painting or writing music or writing a novel. Or even cooking in the kitchen I mean that

you give the same recipe to different people and what comes out of it. You never tasted it. It's the same dish it has as the same name but it doesn't taste the same. So everything we do is the biographical. That's what I think you maybe will and that speculation here in there. OK. One of the other questions that you say that the film deals with and that is sort of reconciling ambitions the need to love and the need to be an artist. Now certainly that's something many many people in especially many women can identify with. You mean that most of the women think that if they allow the mission that they can have both I think is what what people think of that it can't be done successfully. Well I mean that's terrible. Well it's. It's like that idea of

sins. I mean and that idea too if you do something wrong you laugh to pay for it. And then. And then have the. Usual thought is if you get something good you'll have to pay for it in fact it's as though we were on this earth to live and always pay for something pay for something good we've done pay for something good we've gotten pay for something wrong a mistake we've done. And I think that women shouldn't but we do. They feel guilty about being and when I didn't act like I felt guilty because so many years about that. Because you can you work very hard don't you and you push that. Yes I had to you know. But. I mean at the beginning and in that beginning lasted such a long time

until about eight years ago that I thought that I was hurting the others around me because I was allowing myself to express. Freely my needs and. I were the way I wanted to work and expressed myself completely. And what did you have conflicts about the men in your life and your career I mean or did you ever think you had to choose one or the other. Of course you see I. I got married very young and my husband was an actor. And then since then he became a director and the right squids. But I know that it was really a threat to him

that I became Famers and more money than he did. And concerning money for example. We tried to to solve that problem. And we talked a lot about it and I said listen for the moment I'm the one who has the money. But you know one never knows maybe in two years I won't have any money I would work less. And I mean we sharing our lives our sort of experience. And why not share the money. Didn't work. What he said it did but in fact it did not. But not because of himself. Or the way you felt about it but it's the others around you because even if you're not come for mists in your private life you cannot keep yourself into a shell and just be

face to face. You have to go out in the world and it's the way the others look at you that influences terribly the relationship between a man and woman. When you're divorced from him and I assume you were divorced from him because you couldn't reconcile the two things your career and your marriage. I really flew away. We were married since 5 years we iron money but we didn't have enough to rent a flat. We had a baby and we lived with my husband's her and the mother and the father and that was a disaster. And in fact they resented more than him. The fact. That I was more successful and sad I couldn't stand jealousy and it's not because I was very deeply in love with my husband

that I was less curious about was was going on around. I mean though you were in love. You lied to yourself. If you force yourself to be blind deaf and not emotionally connected to the rest of the world than the human beings. And my husband became very jealous but terrible and living with this family not only I had my husband jealous but I add my father in law. It means that when I came back home. Let's see how often our late even my husband was not my father until I was home and would tell my husband

she was late. No wonder you flew. When they die I said no wonder you flew out of that marriage. When I want to get back to you MIA for a minute was it difficult to be taken seriously when you said I want to make a film about women and their relationships with the people who said we don't want anything to do with it. Within the people. No no. It's there. First of all I forced myself to talk about did it a lot because I was very frightened and I spoke so much that it was just like a commitment I was forced to do it. My ex-husband has been marvelous about it. Some of the men friends were terrible. They sent me letters and I thought at one point that even the friendship I had with the

men was finished. And when I had finished my script and when I spoke about the film I had to meet people to get the money. Nobody resented the fact. I must admit that I wanted to make a film about. Friendship between women. I didn't did encounter more difficulties that any of the young male director. See what I mean. Right on the set. The three of four first days that was like you knew I had chosen my crew and some of the grips and some of the electricians I had known me on sets before but is an actress and they were gaping of curiosity and they were not doing their work.

They were wondering how I was going to handle the situation. Waiting for our unit and one chief Chief of the electricians used to come up every morning to ask me the same and same question though everything had been planned the night before. At the end of the route. So I didn't know his first name and he always came up to me and say when my dad what are we doing this morning. I said let me see I told you yesterday night. And anyway your chief knows mean the you know the lighting cameramen. He says that I wanted to know if you didn't change your mind I said no I have not. So the day I said What is your first name. He says Judge I said my first name is Jeff. Do you have the same question to ask me he says. Yes Jad didn't change your mind I said Mabyn.

So everybody left on the set and it did. It ended everything but the actors you had no problem with going on them because you carefully chose them on your show and then on the contrary was incredible because when they own you that the film was that of the ration they all came up to me. Young actors young actresses say. Whatever pod We dont you want to read the script. We want to be in that film. That was mom. And you did it it's really considered a sin to low budget film isn't it. Yes I spent less than $600000. I was allowed to spend to spend it but I didn't. I had 40 days of shooting and. I was allowed to use forty thousand meters of films and I only use twenty seven thousand meters. I didn't do it on the cruise but personally even as an actress I like

rhythm on the set and the film went with that rhythm and you you know you've had this one experience now with a director. Do you have anything of your own style as a director or a strong sense of your needs as a director yet or is it too soon for that. No no it's not too soon. Well in my relationship with with the camera work I'm coming back to what I was trying to explain you had the beginning. I'm not for a very complicated editing shortcutting. I I'm relying more on the day dreaming and the preparation of the film. Then on the brilliant camera would. And concerning this diet.

I don't have plans of the film you do. I think that each director as is but you has instead inst in inside of this personal staff. He has a different way to move inside a different film in relation with what he wants to express and in relation with these actors and the lights on the sets and everything. Were you in a large part motivated to do this not only because of you know the story you told about your relationship with Bordeaux but because it was the only way to make that statement. But really as an actress you probably were going to get the opportunity to make that statement because no one else was going to do well not my desire. I did logic. Why do ambition. I think I imagined. The

film works in all over the world like a huge symphony. And so the moment I mean all the instruments played by men it's as though you only had drums trumpets or violins. And then I felt that you know not only I but other women should mix the voices the instrument to that symphony. So it could be a little more musical. You sound very much like a feminist when I when I read other interviews that I read of yours I don't know exactly what it is. Well I'm not sure I know either but names but strongly involved in the women's movement I think and so I'm not sure how I got involved in the women in the women's movement. I mean I do not participate I'm not part of a group but I'm very you doing your own thing though. Yes but I'm very aware of women's problems

and I always relate myself to women in good moments or in bad moments. There's one thing I love in life is to be able to place myself. Inside somebody I mean try to. And that's easy for me when I look at a woman I speak with a woman or even if I don't speak to her when I see some women walking in the street or in a restaurant I know so what were they going through for example I had a friend of mine she had to have an operation and I went with her to the clinic. And while she was writing down all the floods what she was not frightened but you know one feels before having an operation and then to

a woman about 50 55 years old she was with her husband and they looked so worn out about life with you know. And I could see fear in the eyes of this woman. They were very simple people. He was carrying a little bag and they got all mixed up with the files and the papers and suddenly I could see sweat the face of that woman. And I felt immediately that she was going through menopause and surely that she was going to have you still like me. And I wished I could have spoken to her. That my friend was ready and then the nurse took us up stairs and then I had brought some flowers I arranged to him and I couldn't find a vase and then came out in the corridor and suddenly I saw a door open and there was that woman

with the little that lean man and he was leaving. So I came in the room for you and I said well maybe you don't know me but don't worry. Tell me what is wrong with you. And she said hysteria to me. And I said I thought so. She stopped she started talking about herself and she was worrying about the house that was them. My husband was alone in the laundry. The food he was going to get. I said that's not me. Just be very selfish now and well you know that sort of relationship so coming back to is us saying at the beginning how I feel that is immediately possible right. And the important yes. When I see a woman there are some

women but with men it's more difficult. Let's talk more about men next week. OK. All right. Thank you. Thank you for watching and good night. This program was produced by W. and responsible for

its content major funding was provided by public television stations that it was provided by unrestricted general program grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Ford Foundation.