As France bids the fondest of farewells to a true cinema legend, we're asking: where does this leave French film and French culture? After Jean-Paul Belmondo died on Monday at the age of 88, the tributes continue to flood in. One perhaps sums him up best: an extraordinary hero of ordinary France. In other words, a man of the people who was also the biggest star of his generation.
A special national tribute was held this Thursday at Les Invalides, where France honours its most treasured citizens. We talk about Belmondo, his art and influence, and what made him such an enduring star. We also look at the French New Wave that his early work exemplified, as well as French cinema today. Who takes up where Belmondo left off?
Produced by Charles Wente, Juliette Laurain and Imen Mellaz.
