Picture of the film GÉRARD PHILIPE, LE DERNIER HIVER DU CID by Patrick JEUDY © famille philipe
Gérard Philipe, Le Dernier Hiver du Cid: a tribute to the Cannes-born actor and an epic centenary
Gérard Philipe would have turned a hundred years old on 4 December 2022. The Cannes-born star of the silver-screen and stage left this world at the age of thirty-seven, at the peak of his career. Director Patrick Jeudy honours him in a documentary covering the last few months of his life, screened as part of Cannes Classics.
In November 1959, Gérard Philipe died suddenly following liver cancer, a disease of which he was entirely unaware. A member of the French Resistance, the actor was an activist and pacifist who was passionate about education for all and actors' rights. His death was felt keenly, both on stage, in front of the camera, and in the hearts of fans and loved ones alike. In 2019, his son-in-law, journalist and writer Jérôme Garcin, published Le Dernier Hiver du Cid, recounting the last few months of Gérard Philipe's life. Patrick Jeudy's documentary is a book-to-screen adaptation that draws solely on archive material.
This screening, paired with that of a restored copy of Christian-Jaque's Fanfan la Tulipe, will take place on Friday 27 May at 9:30pm at the Cinéma de la plage, and is part of wider efforts to commemorate the actor, hand in hand with his hometown's local council. From April to September, Cannes will be hosting screenings of films in which he features, public-speaking contests, and on-stage readings. An opportunity to soak up the unforgettable words and vision of one of post-war French film's most iconic names.
