Jean Dujardin

The Smile of Modern French Cinema

De: Julien Peltier

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

Jean Dujardin did not arrive in French cinema as a rebel, a prodigy, or a provocateur.

He arrived smiling.

That smile — intelligent, disarming, slightly ironic — would come to define a new kind of stardom. From television comedy to global recognition, from parody to silence, from national familiarity to Academy Award–winning prestige, Dujardin has quietly reshaped what it means to be a modern French leading man.

In this rich, cinematic biography, Julien Peltier traces the unlikely journey of a performer who turned humor into discipline, irony into insight, and restraint into power. From the cultural phenomenon Un gars, une fille to the razor-sharp satire of OSS 117, from daring genre shifts to the silent triumph of The Artist, this book reveals how Dujardin became the first truly post-ironic star of French cinema.

Neither monument nor rebel, neither myth nor anti-hero, Jean Dujardin stands as a bridge between eras — heir to Belmondo’s ease and Gabin’s restraint, yet unmistakably of the 21st century. His success in Hollywood never erased his Frenchness; his fame never demanded excess; his performances never shouted when a glance would do.

Jean Dujardin: The Smile of Modern French Cinema is an intimate, thoughtful portrait of an actor whose lightness conceals rigor, whose charm hides intelligence, and whose silence speaks volumes.

This book is part of the acclaimed series The Stars of French Cinema, celebrating the artists who shaped — and continue to redefine — cinematic presence.

For readers who love film history, acting craft, and great lives told with elegance and depth, this is a biography that lingers long after the final page.