Anna Karina

"I left home when I was 17...At that age young people can be very brave"

The beautiful Anna Karina became the best known of the French New Wave actresses through her collaborations with husband and director, Jean Luc Godard. She proved to be more than a muse however with her work in film, music and writing.

Hanne Karin Bayer was born in Denmark, 1940. She loved art, singing and dancing, though as a child she struggled with a difficult home life. Eventually she ran away to Paris at the age of seventeen. She started modelling and met Coco Chanel who changed her name to Anna Karina. After staring in a palmolive commercial she was spotted by director Jean Luc Godard. He offered her a film role but as it involved nudity she turned it down. Godard however was very taken with her and eventually cast her in the film Le Petit Soldat. Anna and Godard fell in love and were married in 1961. Professionally their relationship proved fruitful, together they made the films, Une Femme est Une Femme, Pierrot le Fou, Bande à Part, Alphaville and Made in the USA. Personally however Godard was cold and uncaring and following a miscarriage Anna attempted suicide. They divorced in 1967. Despite her personal unhappiness Anna was one of the most popular actresses of the day. She also became a fashion icon. Though her main films of the decade were collaborations with Godard she also stared in La Religieuse and Justine. 
She continues to act and has directed and produced films, she has also written four novels and remains a much loved figure throughout the world, often making appearances to discuss her work and life with Godard.

Whilst Godard's oeuvre was sometimes difficult to understand, Anna's luminosity and fragility made it more accessible to a wider audience. She could be both sensitive and lively, she imbued in her characters a sense of her own spirit. She was dedicated and passionate about her work and throughout her career continued to stretch herself in the roles she took on. She became an icon of the French New Wave and inspired many with her clothing choices, distinctive cats eyes and bangs.

Though she remains best known for being Godard's muse Anna was a talented and creative person in her own right.  She has worked in all areas of the arts including, painting, acting, singing and writing. She worked with some of the most talented people of the 1960s including, Serge Gainsbourg, George Cukor, Roger Vadim, Maurice Ronet and Jacques Rivette. In 1961 she was awarded the Berlin Film Festival's Best Actress award for her work in Une Femme est Une Femme. She also worked in the theatre including the theatrical version of La Religieuse (she would also go onto to star in the film version).

Despite their difficult relationship Anna has always remained loyal to Godard's artistic vision. She remains fascinating both as an actress and as a person. Her body of work presents a classic vision of France during the 1960s, and represents the ever evolving world of French Cinema. Though she found fame as a muse, Anna never let this define her, she was equally as creative as any of the powerful men she worked with. 

"It's about being human. It's beautiful, it's touching, it's acting. It's acting and reality at the same time"