Actors: Belmondo!
This week we look back at the work of Jean-Paul Belmondo, the iconic actor who played in several of the defining films of the French New Wave and who came to personify the rebellious, rough-edged honesty that it stood for.
The Professional
(Le Professionnel)
A French secret agent is going to pursue his murderous mission --- whether France wants him to or not.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1981
- Director Georges Lautner
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Robert Hossein, Elisabeth Margoni, Jean-Louis Richard, Jean Desailly, Michel Beaune
- Genre Action, Adventure, Thriller
- Available on Kanopy
Borsalino
In 1930s Marseilles, two small-time crooks join forces when they meet while brawling over a woman.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1970
- Director Jacques Deray
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain Delon, Catherine Rouvel, Françoise Christophe, Corinne Marchand, Laura Adani
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Mississippi Mermaid
(La sirène du Mississipi)
A tobacco farmer arranges for a mail-order bride and gets more than he bargained for.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1969
- Director François Truffaut
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Deneuve, Michel Bouquet, Nelly Borgeaud, Martine Ferrière, Marcel Berbert
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Pluto TV
Is Paris Burning?
(Paris brûle-t-il?)
The title is Adolf Hitler's question to his chief of staff, Alfred Jodl, on the eve of the liberation of Paris (August 25, 1944).
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 1966
- Director René Clément
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, Leslie Caron, Jean-Pierre Cassel, George Chakiris, Bruno Cremer
- Genre Drama, History, War
- Available on Apple TV
Pierrot le Fou
(Pierrot le fou)
How is life going to look like if one is always on the run?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1965
- Director Jean-Luc Godard
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina, Graziella Galvani, Dirk Sanders, Jimmy Karoubi, Roger Dutoit
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on No streaming locations found.
That Man from Rio
(L'Homme de Rio)
On a mission to Brazil, military man Adrien Dufourquet learns that a stolen statue is the key to a hidden Amazon treasure.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1964
- Director Philippe de Broca
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Françoise Dorléac, Jean Servais, Simone Renant, Adolfo Celi, Roger Dumas
- Genre Action, Adventure, Comedy
- Available on Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Le Doulos
A burglar betraying other criminals prepares for a big heist with a trusted friend that might be as untrustworthy as he.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1962
- Director Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani, Jean Desailly, René Lefèvre, Marcel Cuvelier, Philippe March
- Genre Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
A Woman Is a Woman
(Une femme est une femme)
Sometimes women can't escape what nature makes them desire.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1961
- Director Jean-Luc Godard
- Cast Anna Karina, Jean-Claude Brialy, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Marie Dubois, Jeanne Moreau, Dominique Zardi
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Léon Morin, Priest
(Léon Morin, prêtre)
An atheist begins a series of conversations about religion with a handsome priest, which leads to her conversion -- and more...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1961
- Director Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Emmanuelle Riva, Irène Tunc, Marc Eyraud, Monique Hennessy, Nicole Mirel
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Kanopy
Breathless
(À bout de souffle)
When you discover the dirty truth about the person you love...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1960
- Director Jean-Luc Godard
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger, Jean-Pierre Melville, Henri-Jacques Huet, Van Doude
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Two Women
(La ciociara)
Suddenly, love becomes lust and innocence becomes shame, as two women are trapped by violent passion and unforgettable terror!
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1960
- Director Vittorio De Sica
- Cast Sophia Loren, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Raf Vallone, Eleonora Brown, Carlo Ninchi, Andrea Checchi
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on Apple TV, Tubi TV, Kanopy, Plex Channel
À double tour
The mistress of a wealthy vintner is murdered. His wife accuses the milkman, but his daughter's fiancé has other ideas.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1959
- Director Claude Chabrol
- Cast Madeleine Robinson, Antonella Lualdi, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jeanne Valérie, Jacques Dacqmine, Bernadette Lafont
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video