From the Cannes film festival and Brigitte Bardot to virtual film stars and Virginie Ledoyen, French film stars embody glamour and sex appeal and sometimes controversy. This text analyzes the major French stars of the last fifty years, paying detailed attention to screen performance, representation in the popular press, and social and political contexts of their work. Guy Austin's lucid and engaging account charts the making (and in some cases breaking) of the icons of French cinema, including such famous names as Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu, and Brigitte Bardot, as well as more recent stars like Beatrice Dalle, Emmanuelle Beart, and Samy Naceri.

Guy Austin is Senior Lecturer in French at the University of Sheffield.