The life of Jean Seberg (1938) changed course dramatically when, at the age of 17, she was chosen – from thousands of candidates – to play Joan of Arc in Otto Preminger’s Saint Joan. Even before the film was released, the film studio’s publicity machine had already made her a star, but the film itself was unfortunately a flop among press and public. Then she was given a role in Preminger’s Bonjour Tristesse, but that film also failed to attract audiences. With her unforgettable role as an American beatnik in Godard’s film début A bout de souffle, Seberg however made film history, after which she played leading roles in several international productions. In the sixties, Seberg was involved with the Black Panther movement. After several marriages with famous husbands and a period in which drink and drugs played a significant role, the FBI portrayed her as a sexual pervert and Seberg had a miscarriage, her life ended in 1979 in an alleged suicide. Rappaport chose for his film about Seberg the daring form of a fictional autobiography (made on video, with widespread use of video techniques). Actress Mary Beth Hurt plays Seberg and looks back on her turbulent life. The director uses Seberg’s life to make some hard-hitting comments on the social and cultural context of film history and twentieth-century popular culture. He provides sharp, humorous and ironic observations on the advantages and disadvantages of fame.
