Dialogue: Catherine Deneuve

Tossed around with increasing abandon, the word "icon" has been all but drained of meaning. But paired with the name Catherine Deneuve its true significance is restored. As the face of high-luster advertising campaigns for fashion houses like Chanel and Louis Vuitton, the blond beauty has become synonymous with glamour and elegance. And as a model for the postage-stamp image of national symbol Marianne, she was the symbol for no less than the French Republic. But more indelible than any of those still images is a body of often daring film work that began 50 years ago and has never settled into the middle of the road.