1966. Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant walk on a beach, dine at the table of a large hotel before asking for a room, and flee by car to the “chabadabada” rhythm of their hearts in unison.
Winner of the Palme d'Or and the Oscar for foreign film,
A Man and a Woman,
by Claude Lelouch, is therefore one of the world references for romantic films, as the incarnation of passion on film.
Nearly sixty years later, Penélope Cruz and Brad Pitt reinterpret the legendary lovers in a Chanel campaign for the iconic 11.12 bag, shot in Deauville, the Normandy city in which Mademoiselle opened her first boutique in 1912.
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Revealed during the fall-winter 2024-2025 ready-to-wear fashion show, inspired by Deauville, this homage takes up the original film almost shot by shot, with one twist: it is now the woman who approaches the intimidated lover.
Tailor-made for the Spanish actress who, expected in the next feature films by Isabel Coixet and Maggie Gyllenhaal, has always known how to embrace the developments of the time, deframe, and offer strong women's roles, at Pedro Almodóvar , Woody Allen, Alejandro Amenábar or Asghar Farhadi.
Encounter.
Madame Figaro
.
–
How do Chanel and the work of Virginie Viard, artistic director of the house, correspond to you?
Penélope Cruz.
–
I have admired Chanel since I was little and I can’t imagine a better choice than Virginie to remain faithful to the spirit of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld, while bringing a very strong personal imprint.
Since my first show in 1999, I have forged very strong bonds with people who work at Chanel, and I can attest to the values of respect and loyalty that are perpetuated there and to which I hold dear.
Penélope Cruz and Brad Pitt in the new Chanel campaign.
Inez & Vinoodh
What did A Man and a Woman
mean to you
before filming the campaign?
It's one of my favorite films of all time, for its modernity and its vision of the couple, quite revolutionary at the time.
A man and a woman
will never date.
I was very happy to meet Claude Lelouch and tell him my admiration during the filming of the campaign in which he appears in silhouette, as a man walking his dog.
I was deeply marked by Anouk Aimée in this film: she has such a look, such an allure.
I thought of her for
Broken Embraces
(by Pedro Almodovar, 2009), in which I actually wore pieces from Chanel archives.
“A lot of people have asked us what we were talking about in the beach sequence…”
Penelope Cruz
Brad Pitt is your alter ego in this campaign. How is he the incarnation of man in 2024?
An icon was needed to succeed an icon.
Brad is an incredible, charismatic actor.
He and I co-starred in
Ridley Scott's
Cartel , but didn't have any scenes together.
We had a lot of fun shooting this campaign.
Many people asked us what we were talking about in the sequence on the beach: we were on repeat on the
Succession
series !
He had watched it all, but I hadn't seen the last episode yet.
I wanted to extract information from him, without spoiling my pleasure.
Penélope Cruz and Brad Pitt in the new Chanel campaign.
Inez & Vinoodh
“A man and a woman
”
: what do these words mean to you today?
Legality.
I have two children, a boy and a girl, and, without denying their uniqueness, it is essential for me to educate them in the same way, with respect for others.
A Man and a Woman
is a classic.
Do you dream of such a strong love interest role?
Everything depends.
Telling the story of a rosy, idealized life does not interest me: no love is perfect, because no individual is.
Films must reflect the reality of what we experience and what I am looking for, beyond romance, is the truth of feelings.
You have filmed with Olivier Assayas (
Cuban network
), Mathieu Kassovitz (
Gothika
), Jacques Weber (
Don Juan
)... What place does French cinema have in your cinephile?
Huge.
In your country there are filmmakers who have left their mark on History, like Claude Lelouch, François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol or Nicole Garcia... And obviously Justine Triet, already essential.
Anatomy of a Fall
is a marvel of precision, truth and intelligence.
One of the biggest films of the year.
“I’m still waiting for the day when people stop asking actresses about their age”
Penelope Cruz
Penélope Cruz in the new Chanel campaign.
Inez & Vinoodh
You started thirty years ago. What major changes have you experienced during your career?
When I started in Hollywood, after my debut in Spain, people asked me if I didn't feel too old... Even though I was only 25 years old.
Gradually, mentalities have evolved and, today, at almost 50 years old, the roles that I am offered are as interesting, if not more.
However, nothing is certain and there is still a lot of room for improvement to achieve parity or equality of salaries… And I am still waiting for the day when people will stop questioning actresses about their age.
What other stereotypes still need to be deconstructed?
The list is endless, but good directors and creators like Virginie Viard or Claude Lelouch do not fall into the traps.
They have a sort of cliché detector and instinctively move away from it.
I recognize myself there.
As a producer, I am sensitive to the representation of the feminine but it is not a demand.
It's just an inclination towards complex and realistic characters.
The iconic 11.12 bag, star of the latest Chanel campaign.
Inez & Vinoodh
However, do you consider certain artistic choices as feminist commitments?
I guess the message depends on who receives it.
Feminism doesn't mean the same thing to all of us.
As far as I'm concerned, it means equality, the value I grew up with.
When I was born, my parents were 21 years old: they were modern, open-minded, consistent in their way of being in the world and raising us.
At home, there was no difference in treatment between my brother, my sister and me.
Everyone was clearing the table.
It’s these details that make the difference, it’s the examples around you that unconsciously shape your thinking.
My mother always fought for her rights and to make her voice heard.
I would betray her if I didn't do the same.
A word about your projects?
I am developing five films with my production company, but it is too early to talk about them.
Rather, desires: to shoot another musical (after
Nine
in 2010, Editor's note) and to find Pedro Almodóvar, who films women as he considers them, with respect and kindness.