Six Definitive Films: The ultimate beginner’s guide to Anna Karina
Born in Denmark in 1940, Anna Karina, real name Hanne Karin Bayer, hitchhiked to Paris in 1958, despite being unable to speak French. Yet, in the following decades, Karina became the face of the French New Wave, working closely with her lover Jean-Luc Godard as the star of many of his most successful feature films.
After arriving in Paris at 17, Karina was spotted by an advertising agent who asked the young girl if she’d be interested in modelling. In need of money, Karina accepted and began modelling for big names such as Elle and brushing shoulders with Coco Chanel. The actress even credits the fashion designer with helping her choose her stage name, which was based on Leo Tolstoy’s novel, Anna Karenina.
Karina starred in Palmolive adverts during this period, which caught the attention of the young filmmaker Godard, who was in the process of casting his first film, Breathless. Although he was eager to cast Karina in his film, she refused due to the possibility of a nude scene.
Godard persevered in his quest to cast Karina, and she accepted the role of a pro-Algerian activist in his next film, Le Petit Soldat, which wasn’t released until 1963. Quickly, the pair became close and started a romantic relationship. However, this dissolved in 1965, with Karina recalling: “I know he didn’t mean to hurt me, but he did. He was never there, he was never coming back, and I never knew where he was. He drove me a bit crazy.”
Although Karina is best known for acting in her husband’s films, she also starred in countless other films separate from Godard. She worked with the likes of Jacques Rivette and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. With that, Karina even directed a few films of her own, in which she also starred. Here, we trace her career through six definitive films.
Anna Karina’s six definitive films:
Une femme est une femme (Jean-Luc Godard, 1961)
Marking Godard’s first colour film, Une femme est une femme (or A Woman is a Woman), features a dominant colour palette of reds and blues, with Karina’s character memorable for her blue eyeshadow and eyeliner look. We follow exotic dancer Angela as she tries to persuade her lover Emilie to have a baby with her. Whilst Emilie is not ready for such responsibility, Angela’s friend and admirer Alfred is.
Karina’s performance is energetic and enchanting, and it’s hard to imagine the character of Angela played by anyone else, effortlessly mixing a playful charm with sophistication. The film also contains the memorable book scene, which sees Angela and Emilie refusing to talk, instead communicating through book titles that they pull off their shelves.
Vivre sa vie (Jean-Luc Godard, 1962)
Shot in stunning black and white, Vivre sa vie is one of Godard’s most dynamic and emotive works, chronicling the life of an aspiring actress who slowly falls into prostitution instead. Writer Susan Sontag praised Vivre sa vie upon its release as “an exhibit, a demonstration. It shows that something happened, not why it happened. It exposes the inexorability of an event.”
This is achieved through 12 episodes, which show Karina’s Nana as she navigates the desolation of her life. Karina’s performance is stunning, and the scene where she cries during a screening of The Passion of Joan of Arc is unforgettable. Godard not only communicates the similarities between Joan and Nana but also draws attention to the importance of cinema as an emotional, transformative experience – not simply a mode of escape.
Bande à part (Jean-Luc Godard, 1964)
In Godard’s 1964 film Bande à part, Karina stars as a young woman that gets caught up in committing a robbery after meeting a man in her English class. Although Karina’s character is much less profound here than in Vivre sa vie, her on-screen presence isn’t any less forgettable, as she risks everything for a moment of freedom and spontaneity.
Bande à part has had a huge influence over cinema. The famous dance scene inspired the equally iconic dance scene in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, and the moment where the three criminals run through The Louvre was replicated in The Dreamers and Faces Places.
Pierrot le Fou (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965)
One of Godard’s most successful films, Pierrot le Fou, is also one of Karina’s greatest performances. Featuring plenty of colourful shots, breaking of the fourth wall, unusual editing choices, and poetry, Pierrot le Fou is a masterpiece that pays homage to American gangster movies, only with a much more political edge.
Karina stars alongside another frequent Godard collaborator Jean-Paul Belmondo, and the pair have an undeniable chemistry that begins to whither as their relationship slowly becomes even more doomed than it was to begin with. On the run together, Karina’s Marianne remains optimistic, even performing a lively musical number that is a joy to witness.
La Religieuse (Jacques Rivette, 1966)
Proving herself as a capable and extremely talented actress outside of Godard’s work, Karina teamed up with Jacques Rivette to create the beguiling La Religieuse. The actress plays the young Suzanne, who is cast away to a convent against her will by her family. She battles with her faith as she fights for freedom, tested by Mother Madame de Chelles’ sexual affection for the young nun.
Rivette draws parallels between convents and prisons to explore the extremity of female oppression, and Karina shines as the determined young nun who demands to be free. La Religieuse is a far cry from Karina’s largely playful roles in Godard’s films. Instead, she demonstrates her ability to play a more demanding role, which, paired with the claustrophobic cinematography and unconventional narrative, makes for a captivating watch.
Chinese Roulette (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1976)
Karina’s performance as Irene in Fassbinder’s Chinese Roulette is another example of the actress’ ability to shine when given darker roles. The film follows a couple who show up at their holiday home with their lovers in tow, resulting in a truth-guessing game that threatens to ruin everything.
Every character is cruel and uncompromising, and Fassbinder uses the set-up as an exploration of fascism that still prevailed over individuals in post-war Germany, who were wrestling with ideologies that dominated only a few decades prior. Karina’s Irene is cold whilst also harbouring underlying repression and guilt.
