Belmondo by Belmondo - DVD

Content: From the 1960s to the late 80s, it was simply impossible to imagine cinemas without him: Jean-Paul Belmondo! He was considered the very big star of French action and comedy cinema, but also made a name for himself in more sophisticated films such as Out of Breath or Eleven at Night by Jean-Luc Godard. With a lot of charm and power, Belmondo attracted audiences in droves to the cinemas with films like The Professional, Adventures in Rio, A Crazy Guy or The Ace of Aces. In Germany it became quiet around the actor from the late 80s, who found his way back to the stage in his home country and created enthusiasm there. Now, at over 80 years of age, Jean-Paul Belmondo looks back on an extremely versatile and great career that has taken him to the most diverse places in the world.

Together with his son Paul already Belmondo in the documentary Belmondo of Belmondo some of these places. He returns to locations of his great cinema successes, telling of the sometimes very exciting filming and his even more exciting life. On this journey the two men meet numerous companions of Belmondo like Ursula Andress or Alain Delon. Famous friends such as Claude Brasseur and Jean Rochefort have their say, as do family members and actors such as Jean Dujardin, who were inspired by Belmondo's work. This journey through a fabulous career is rounded off with all sorts of film clips and rare archive material such as private Super 8 films or footage from the shooting of his films.

This creates a very comprehensive, personal and entertaining picture of an exceptional French artist. Critical questions or insights into possible dark sides of the artist should not be expected here. After all, the whole thing is a son's homage to his father. This is, of course, a rather one-sided adulation. On the other hand, what Belmondo has created in his nearly six-decade career is such a respectable achievement that there's no room for negative voices there either. For cinema lovers, this documentary is a must-see anyway. For when Belmondo reveals in his narrations how the work on the stunts was done back then - something that one could no longer imagine in a Hollywood production today - it becomes clear how much international cinema has changed in one way alone. But also the importance of a star is no longer what it was in the 60s or even in the 80s. There, the name on the poster was enough to lure people to the cinema. Hardly any stars have that kind of drawing power anymore - and that's kind of a shame.

Belmondo by Belmondo is a documentary really worth watching and also a small piece of cinema history. And that's why not only fans of the French cult actor should definitely not miss this road trip into the past. Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The sound is on a good level for a documentary, with interviews, the German voice-over commentaries (for which, among others, Belmondos regular speaker Rainer Brandt could be won) and the music here tone-setting. Surround fireworks should therefore not be expected. Since the film makes use of a lot of archival footage, there is always some loss of quality in the sharpness of the picture. Here and there there is also a little dirt, which is not surprising given the age of some of the film clips, archive footage from filming and older interview recordings. The actual interviews, on the other hand, please with good overall sharpness and a coherent color scheme. Overall, there is a satisfied for the technical implementation: good!

Extras: Bonus material has the DVD unfortunately not to offer.

Conclusion: Belmondo by Belmondo is a very entertaining and charming documentary about the great Jean-Paul Belmondo, which not only visits many original locations of his film career, but also lets quite a few greats of French cinema have their say. Rare archive material and the very personal interviews make this film a must for all fans of the actor. The DVD presents the road trip in very good picture and sound quality, only bonus material is unfortunately not available. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp