Alternative film venue Cimatheque will pay tribute to French actress Jeanne Moreau next weekend with screenings of two of her most famous films, Jules et Jim and Elevator to the Gallows. A star of the French New Wave cinema of the 1960s, Moreau was born in 1923, and died last month at the age of 89. During her prolific career she appeared in nearly 150 films over the course of 50 years. A cinematic icon known for both her sensual beauty and her strong personality, she broke taboos in her roles and refused to be pigeon-holed. Some of her best-known films include Jules and Jim (1962), The Lovers (1958), Diary of a Chambermaid (1964) and The Bride Wore Black (1968). Directed by François Truffaut, Jules and Jim is set in Paris before World War I, and follows two friends who fall for the same woman. She marries one of them, but after the war when they meet again and she starts to love the other, resulting in a triangle of both friendship and love. Elevator to the Gallows was directed by Louis Malle in 1958, and tells the story of Florence, who is married to a wealthy arms dealer and is having an affair with one of his employees. When Julien is assigned to kill him, he forgets evidence at the murder scene and gets stuck in the elevator while trying to get out of the building. Moreau began her acting career on stage, and, against her father's wishes, attended the Conservatoire National d'Art Dramatique in Paris. She had her theatrical debut at the Avignon Theatre Festival in 1947, and at 20 years old she became the youngest full-time member of the Comédie-Française. She won many awards, including best actress at Cannes for Seven Days... Seven Nights (1960), the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress for Viva Maria! (1965), and the César Award for Best Actress for The Old Lady Who Walked in the Sea (1992). She was also the recipient of several lifetime awards, including a BAFTA Fellowship in 1996. Moreau was also a singer, screenwriter and director. Programme: Thursday 17 August, 7pm Jules and Jim Friday 18 August, 7pm Elevator to the Gallows Cimatheque, 19a Adly Street, Downtown, Cairo
