Anouk Aimee, 80th birthday greetings

I don't usually bother with birthday greetings to our movie favourites but have to make an exception (even if a day late) for Anouk Aimee, 80 yesterday on 27 April.

Anouk remains one of the most mysterious, alluring, glamorous French stars, ever since she began as a teenager in the late 40s (THE LOVERS OF VERONA, THE GOLDEN SALAMANDER), she was friends with Dirk Bogarde too, since her early English movies, and was busy throughout the 50s (LOVERS OF MONTPARNASSE etc, as per reviews here) and then in those international hits like Fellini's LA DOLCE VITA (where she and Marcello driving in the car are surely the most perfectly glamorously couple ever) and 8 AND A HALF where they could not really de-glamorise her. She was perfect in Lelouch's UN HOMME ET UNE FEMME in 1966, an international hit and she was nominated for best actress, but of course that was Elizabeth Taylor's year.

She continued being very busy for lots of directors: a return to Jacques Demy for THE MODEL SHOP in 1969 (she was perfect too of course as his LOLA in 1961) and JUSTINE ['A Movie I Love' here] for Cukor - with whom she did not get along, as by then she was not interested in acting but being with her new husband, one Albert Finney. She returned to acting once that marriage finished in 1976 (including Altman's PRET A PORTER) and she is still working now - she is amusing and glamorous as ever in 2001's FESTIVAL AT CANNES, with that very individual voice. 

I remember going to see her in Vadim's LES GRAND CHEMINS when I was new in London in 1964,  ... lots more on Anouk at label. There are so many photographs of her it is hard to choose ...
 A special mention too for her slinky lesbian queen in Aldrich's deliriously trashy classic SODOM AND GOMORRAH in 1962 !