The Private Diaries of Catherine Deneuve

Book excerpt: Catherine Deneuve's portrayal of an icy, sexually adventurous housewife in Luis Buñuel's Belle de Jour established her as one of the most remarkable and compelling actresses of her generation. Forty years later, Deneuve is still widely regarded as one of the grandes dames of French cinema. Despite her international appeal, however, Deneuve has always chosen to avoid the glare of Hollywood and seldom allows the public into her private life. In these memoirs, Deneuve takes the reader behind the scenes of her life and career in this collection of seven previously unpublished diaries that she kept while filming abroad. She charts the shooting of films such as The April Fools (1968), co-starring Jack Lemmon; Tristana (1969), directed by Buñuel; Indochine (1991), shot in Vietnam; and Lars von Trier's acclaimed Dancer in the Dark (1999), co-starring Björk.--From publisher description.