Anna Karina is one of the most recognizable actresses of the French New Wave, a series of films released in the 1960s. Karina, born in Denmark, fled to Paris when she was 17 to try to stand on her own two feet. She didn’t speak French at the time, but eventually found work as a model and got advice from legends like Coco Chanel. However, it was not the modeling that would bring Karina acclaim during her lifetime. It would be she who made her famous: director Jean-Luc Godard discovered Karina in an advertisement.
He was preparing for the cast of his debut film Breathless in 1960 and wanted to give her a part in it, albeit a small one. She declined because she didn’t want to appear naked in his film. He returned to her for the casting of Le Petit Soldat, and at the age of 21, Karina first appeared in a Godard film. The film was banned from showing in France for its references to the Algerian War, but this was only the beginning of Karina’s career. She married Godard briefly, and by the time she… died at 79 by 2019, Karina had become one of the most iconic figures of the French New Wave and French cinema as a whole. These are her best movies ranked.
6/6 Le Petit Soldat
- Les Productions Georges de Beauregard
dubbed The Little Soldier in English, this film marked the beginning of the collaboration between Karina and Godard in the field of cinema. It wasn’t released until 1963, which meant that other films the two had made had come out before. Set during the Algerian War, a man named Bruno settles in Geneva to try to escape French conscription. He works for what has been called a French terrorist organization, and he has just been ordered to kill a great figure to prove his loyalty. He struggles with this task and at the same time falls in love with a woman who helps the same organization as the man he is supposed to kill.
5/6 Alphaville
Released in 1965, Alphaville is a neo-noir science fiction film that took home the Golden Bear in the year of its release. The protagonist is Lemmy Warning, a secret agent who poses as a journalist trying to complete a series of tasks assigned to him. He is looking for two individuals, one is a missing comrade, the other he must capture or kill, and he must destroy Alphaville. In this country, love, poetry and emotion have been taken completely out of the equation, leaving the world a lot darker than it should be. Prudence is the classic anti-hero navigating the streets of Alphaville – actually Paris, shot only at night – to get the job done.
4/6 A woman is a woman
A woman is a woman was Godard’s first film in color, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Karina portrays the exotic dancer Angéla, who is in a relationship with Émile. She’s ready to take their relationship to the next level and wants a child, but he doesn’t seem ready yet. When his friend is added to the equation and pursues Angéla in a fit of passion, she decides to sleep with the friend to get what she wants. Karina won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for her performance in A woman is a woman.
3/6 Band of outsiders
Band of outsiders is highly underrated in Godard’s filmography and should not be overlooked for good reasons. Karina is Odile, who Franz (Sami Frey) meets while attending English language courses. He introduces her to another friend, Arthur, after she reveals that a lot of money is hidden in the villa where she lives. The two have decided they want to steal all the money, and Arthur’s uncle joins in the plot. Odile, who has now contributed to the plot, has fallen in love with Franz, turning it into a crime of passion towards the end.
2/6 Pierrot le Fou
In Pierrot le Fou, his protagonist initially does not have the best time. He has lost his job with a TV broadcaster in Paris and makes a hasty decision to run away with his ex-girlfriend (Karina). This is quite a decision as he is married with children and a wife, and, as he soon discovers, the ex-girlfriend has ties to gangsters and is currently being hunted by a group. So a chase across France begins with these two former lovers trying to evade the mobsters, and their relationship is put to the test.
1/6 Vivre Sa Vie
Vivre Sa Vie is one of the best in Godard’s filmography – there’s no denying that. Karina portrays Nana Kleinfrankenheim, a woman in her early twenties, who leaves her comfortable life to become an actress. Struggling to make ends meet while working in a record store, she finds herself in various situations. Vivre Sa Vie is told in 12 different episodes, each telling an interconnected vignette about Nana’s life and dreams. although Vivre Sa Vie can technically be considered a tragedy, it shows the struggles of single women and how they want to pursue their dreams but cannot survive financially in this day and age.