40-year-old Jean Seberg was last seen alive on August 30, 1979. The international actress was discovered in her white Renault automobile several days later, parked not far from her Paris apartment.
Television and radio blasted the news and newspapers headlined the shocking story all over the world.
The French in particular were moved by the passing of their adopted daughter. They preempted regular television programming with a showing of Bonjour Tristesse to honor the beloved actress from Marshalltown, Iowa.
Jean Seberg's grave in Jean Seberg's grave in Cimetière du Montparnasse, Paris, France. (Courtesy/Copyright Michel Ambruster.)
"In France, Jean is still regarded as the quintessential American girl in Paris, the free spirit," noted Garry McGee, Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg co-producer and author of Jean Seberg: Breathless. "Scarcely a day passes when someone doesn't stop and linger at the site, bringing an offering--and perhaps, too, another promise never to forget."
39 years later, the first documentary film to focus on the private side of the famous actress is set for DVD release at the end of the year with PBS broadcasts to follow in 2019.
"Movie Star is a tale of Hollywood and heartbreak, beginning when an unknown 17-year-old Iowa girl beat out 18,000 actresses to play Saint Joan in Otto Preminger's 1957 film. The documentary goes behind the scenes of her rocky life in the international film spotlight, her civil rights activism that drew FBI attention, and her mysterious death in Paris in 1979 - deemed a "probable suicide." That leaves room for doubt," said Kelly Rundle. "And you will have to see the film to understand why."
On Thursday, July 19th Jean Seberg's hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa was devastated by a F4 tornado which destroyed and damaged its Main Street business district, homes, historic buildings, many old trees and vehicles. Fortunately, there was no loss of life and few injuries.
Among the damaged historic buildings were the town's courthouse and the Orpheum Theater Center where Jean watched movies as a teen, and a number of her own films, including her first, Saint Joan, played to packed audiences.
We the producers of Movie Star: the Secret Lives of Jean Seberg decided to create a visual tribute to Marshalltown, Iowa using footage gathered downtown in 2012 for the documentary, and accoustic guitar music by Marshalltown native Mark Adams of Amy & Adams. The song "Going Home" was the perfect fit for the video piece. Amy & Adams' music is featured in Movie Star.
We wish the residents of Marshalltown all the very best as you rebuild your beautiful city.
Producers Kelly & Tammy Rundle and Garry McGee Fourth Wall Film & McMarr, LTD
#marshalltownstrong
---------------
Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg producers Garry McGee, Tammy Rundle and Kelly Rundle in front of the Orpheum Theater Center in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Photo from the Jean Seberg Collection, the IVCCD Orpheum Theater Center, Marshalltown, Iowa (All rights reserved.)
This historic image was taken in 1956 in downtown Marshalltown, Iowa during the big parade that welcomed a young Jean Seberg home to celebrate being selected from 18,000 hopefuls and cast in Otto Preminger's SAINT JOAN.
Yesterday, July 19, 2018, a massive tornado devastated the town, residences, buildings, cars, the charming Main Street businesses, and the historic Orpheum Theater Center--where Seberg's SAINT JOAN screened in 1957. It is currently home to the Jean Seberg Festival of the Arts, and the Orpheum's Seberg Collection.
Twenty seven tornadoes ripped through Iowa Thursday leaving destruction in several towns, including Bondurant and Pella. A number of people were injured, but thankfully no deaths have been reported.
Four emergency alerts pinged through on cell phones. Sirens rang through downtown twice. At first, it seemed like nothing. Then it hit.
Devastating.
In a word, that is how small businesses and their owners, residents and anyone who witnessed the tornado that struck Marshalltown Thursday afternoon describe it.
As it happened
Local resident David Powers said he witnessed the destructive tornado on Church Street as it turned from black to an unnerving deep purple. At that point, he sought immediate shelter.
Places like the Marshalltown Public Library, the Animal Rescue League, the YMCA-YWCA and other local organizations began harboring passersbys and the patrons already at the facilities.
Sheila Just, of Kingdom Trucking, had no choice but to take cover in the bed of her semi with her dogs in the truck with her. Bricks, glass and other debris fell around her, even cracking the windows of her truck. But somehow, she made it out alive — she credits the work of a higher power.
Josh Gummert, an employee at Sub City, took the four customers in the restaurant down to basement as they heard the sirens going off. They heard loud cracking while they were in shelter. Now, they believe the noise was the glass shattering on the store front windows.
“We were looking toward the (Marshall County) Courthouse and it was dark, and all the sudden it swooped up … when we looked over between the trees, we could see the funnel — it was moving really quick,” said resident Selena Weitzell.
The steeple on the Marshall County Courthouse was gone. Bricks, glass, branches, flanks of wood and random debris scattered the streets. Residents took in the damage throughout town in the post-storm heat and humidity, moving branches and pieces of houses off their lawn and out of the street.
Parked cars were slightly damaged or totaled with entire trees on top of them. Some were in entirely different spots than they were originally parked. As people descended on the devastation, one woman shouted across the parking lot, “at least I still got a driver’s window.”
Video footage of the tornado captured by Mark Varnum (posted on Youtube 7/19/2018). He noted where he was located when he filmed: "Northwest from 18th st. and HWY 30. Funnel touched down just west of the Soldier's home and went down Main St., Marshalltown, Iowa.
Downtown hit hard
In the aftermath it appeared that Main Street was hit especially hard, as if the tornado had a designated plan to head that route. Typical to other storms that have hit Marshalltown in recent years, the tornado seemed to pick up strength as it traveled west to east, but prominent evidence of the event can be seen largely throughout the northeast and northwest quadrants of Marshalltown.
Photo by Nancy Adams (curator of the Jean Seberg Colllection) - Orpheum Theater Center tornado damage.
CNN reported that ten people suffered injuries after a tornado struck the town of 27,000 people (located about an hour northeast of Des Moines). None of the patients are in critical condition, hospital spokeswoman Laura Rainey said.
Read the CNN coverage and view tornado video HERE.
---------------
Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg producers Garry McGee, Tammy Rundle and Kelly Rundle in front of the Orpheum Theater Center in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Work continues on the final editing of Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg and early preparations for DVD authoring, which will include (among other bonus features) filmmakers' commentary, extended interviews, behind-the-scenes documentary footage and photographs, closed captioning and a French translation of the film.
The documentary has won awards at several film festivals in the U.S. and accolades from a number of film critics.
Film critic Leah Gehlsen wrote: "Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg is a fascinating, little peek into the world of one of America’s most haunted and beautiful actresses. Jean Seberg grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa, and was discovered by Otto Preminger at the age of 17 during a nationwide casting call for his much-ballyhooed Saint Joan. The film was a critical ess-storm, but Preminger and Seberg got back in the ring for Bonjour Tristesse the following year. Although mesmerizing, and more of a critical darling than SJ, Tristesse didn’t quite provide the professional boost Seberg was after. Finally, in 1960, with Jean-Luc Godard at the helm, she made the French New-Wave masterpiece Breathless, and became an adopted daughter of the French cinema and a Hollywood sensation in one fell swoop. As the story typically goes, though, Seberg’s personal life went…awry. She married the wrong men, made the wrong friends, and went head-to-head with J. Edgar Hoover.
There is a tenderness in this telling of Seberg’s story that lends itself to a broader sympathy for the actress. It’s not the most objective of documentary techniques, but it’s genuine and the sympathy isn’t just an act. The film backs itself up with a real humdinger of a tale about the aforementioned Mr. Hoover and his neutralization of Seberg that’ll make you weep.
It’s clear here that the real beauty of Jean Seberg was in her intentions. Set against a backdrop of footage, old photos, and gentle conversations with her nearest and dearest, Seberg’s pure objectives are apparent. Her sister, high school drama teacher, friends made later in life, and extended family remember Seberg vividly and fondly, and that’s the real meat of the film. The Jean Seberg depicted here was a woman who made decisions based on frank assessment of the trials, tribulations, and advantages of others, who loved with little limitation, and whose self-awareness seemed almost the stuff of legend, especially considering her place in the limelight.
The movie breaks Seberg down into personas (actress, activist, icon) and divides her life as such, but it also maintains a chronology so the end result denotes a growth through her personal roles. It makes for a sharply delineated film that maintains an uncluttered delivery.
A lot of the film is a montage of footage and photos, and the rest is composed of interviews and Seberg quotes which cleverly shepherd the viewer through her life’s roles. The interviews span almost two decades and include everyone from her sister to admirers, but no interview is without momentum. This is a smartly-edited film, ushering us from beginning to end and helping us to draw the only conclusion there really is to draw: that Jean Seberg was a well-loved woman who probably deserved a life a little more well-lived than she got.
In what amounts to a moving and (documentarians, take note!) comprehensive piece with a strong rhythm, Movie Star is an intimate collage. It is stirring, but not schmaltzy, revelatory, but not disrespectful. It is precisely the kind of documentary that results from the truest admiration of the subject."
------------
To add your name to the credits of the award-winning Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg by Emmy-nominated filmmakers Garry McGee, and Kelly & Tammy Rundle and lock in your pre-order of the DVD for when it is released in December, make a contribution of $50 or more before August 1, 2018 by visiting our HOW TO CONTRIBUTE page! It helps us in our final fundraising efforts AND gets YOU some great perks!
Kristen Stewart in "Personal Shopper." (IFC Films publicity still)
In a recent article that appeared on the Festival de Cannes website, author Tarik Khaldi asked actress and director Kristen Stewart if she was "French at heart."
She replied, "Almost! I’m getting as close as I can. I’m playing Jean Seberg in Benedict Andrews’ Against All Enemies. A lot of the dialogue is in French, although her [Seberg's] accent is terrible."
In Seberg's French films, she purposely exaggerated her accent to varying degrees as requested by her directors (eg. Jean-Luc Godard in Breathless and Seberg's husband Romain Gary in Birds in Peru).
"Her [Seberg's] accent was deliberate and reflected her intelligence," Diamonds are Brittle director Nicolas Gessner said. "It was with 'tongue in cheek' because it showed her superiority. When she spoke French she spoke it very well--but with an accent. Not quite showing off with it but taking away the criticism. She didn't want people to think 'Oh c'mon. She thinks she's French because she speaks French'. She went ahead of that criticism. Even today, so many years later, I can hear her speaking."
When Stewart was asked if she went on a French film binge [Seberg made more than a dozen films in French], Stewart replied: "Not as much as I should have."
Jean Seberg in "Birds in Peru" (Universal publicity still).
It was announced on Deadline.com today that actor Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers, Hacksaw Ridge, Couples Retreat) has joined the cast of the new political thrillerAgainst All Enemies, directed by director Benedict Andrews (Una) andstarring Kristen Stewart (Personal Shopper, On the Road, Twilight) as Jean Seberg. Vaughn will play Carl Kowalski, the FBI agent in charge of the investigation of Seberg involvement with supporting the Black Power movement. Seberg was considered the darling of the French New Wave after starring in Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless.
Jean Seberg and Kristen Stewart (Ecran Noir).
Deadline.com reports: Fred Berger (La La Land) and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones of Automatik are producing alongside Kate Garwood and Stephen Hopkins. Phreaker Films, led by Alan Ritchson and Marina Acton, has come on board to produce and finance. Bradley Pilz of Bradley Pilz Productions is also producing. Sales kick off in Cannes this week via Memento Films International. UTA is repping U.S. rights. The film is set to begin filming in Los Angeles in June.
*The producers of Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg are not affiliated with Against All Enemies, nor is this project based on Garry McGee's book Jean Seberg: Breathless or Neutralized: the FBI vs Jean Seberg by Jean Russell Larson and Garry McGee.
The award-winning documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg by Emmy-nominated documentary film writer Garry McGee, McMarr LTD (author of Jean Seberg: Breathless) and Emmy-nominated documentary filmmakers Kelly Rundle and Tammy Rundle (Fourth Wall Films) will be released internationally on DVD near Christmas 2018.
Join the journey! To add your name to the film credits (before August 1, 2018) and make a tax-deductible contribution of $100 or more to Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg, contact us at fourthwallfilms@aol.com for details!
Jean Seberg in the French New Wave film "Breathless".
As the award-winning Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg documentary undergoes final adjustments, we turn our attention to early preparations for the DVD bonus features, closed captioning and a French translation of the film.
Though Jean was an American actress, she appeared in 34 films in Hollywood and in Europe, and lived half of her life in France. She is considered an adopted daughter of France and is honored and remembered there even today.
Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg (Star de Cinéma: les vies secrètes de Jean Seberg) DVD will have the option of being viewed with French subtitles.
We continue our fundraising efforts to cover post-production expenses on Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg. Ahhhh to have a Hollywood budget for our French/Hollywood story! What would that be like? Funding raised during this final phase will go toward E&O insurance and licensing fees.
The DVD is slated for release in December of this year!
If you or someone you know would like to make atax-deductible contribution of $100 or more to the film project before it goes to DVD, contact us at fourthwallfilms@aol.com for details!
We cannot thank each of you enough for your generous and kind support of Movie Star. We are very excited to see the project finally coming to a close. We could not do it without you!
Breathless, the groundbreaking film that was an instant classic when first released in 1960 ushered in the French New Wave style of filmmaking and made stars of Jean-Paul Belmondo and director Jean-Luc Godard. Jean Seberg, who was living in France with her then-husband Francois Moreuil (also featured in Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg) was convinced by him to be in Breathless.
The financial backers also wanted a name to be in the film to help generate ticket sales and Seberg filled the ticket. It's also the first film in which audiences saw a natural Seberg--Godard allowed her much freedom in the interpretation of the character she played. And her instincts come through for the first time on film.
"We did a lot of improvising," Jean later recalled. "And I believe Belmondo and I often thought we were creating more than we really were. [But] Godard was very much in control of it all."
"Jean really enjoyed making Breathless, and much of it was ad-libbed. It showed what Jean could do when left to her own devices," said Carol Hollingsworth, Jean's high school theater drama coach and friend.
"The company was aware that Movie Star was in post-production and asked if we could create a featurette about Jean for inclusion on the DVD," said producer Kelly Rundle. "It was great fun to do and we are pleased to have it included on this special DVD marking the 50th anniversary of Breathless' release.
The 50th Anniversary Breathless DVD can be purchased via Amazon.com.
There’s a certain je ne sais quoi — a nonchalance if you will — that comes with Frenchness, or at least American perception of Frenchness. Truth be told, that air of Frankly-my-dear-I-don’t-give-a-damn-ness is a quality everyone else in the world yearns for. It’s not indifference exactly, but a deep abiding confidence … or at least that’s how it comes across.
Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo in "Breathless" (1960).
Two movies epitomizing Parisian chic, “Breathless” and “Band of Outsiders,” screen this Saturday at that indomitable Santa Monica institution, The Aero Theatre. The double feature can be taken together or individually, providing an adequate dosage of swank — much like the flu shot, a yearly French film viewing does the trick. Both shrug their way toward being crime films, but in the most modest way possible. The important take away is their ineluctable style.
Directed by the legendary Jean-Luc Godard, both pictures sneak up on you, kind of tapping you on the shoulder from behind. Anti-establishment, anti-almost everything, the director’s early-sixties point of view captures a restless youthful ennui that persists to this day. A frustration with what came before that finds some respite in music, cinema and a cigarette. Check out actress Jean Seberg in her marinière (stripy shirt) and cropped hair — just as au courant today as ever. Ce flick est en fleek.
Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA.
If you haven’t made an effort to check out The Aero Theatre, do. The programming at The American Cinematheque (there is also the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood) bursts with cinematic gems that are honest-to-God worth the trek to see on the big screen. Classics and newer choices await, often with special guests, and family-friendly picks, like the recently screened “E.T.,” only underscore the emotional gulf that exists between watching things at home versus the irresistible communal experience.
Columbia Pictures publicity still of Doris Day and Jack Lemmon in "It Happened to Jane".
April 3 marks the 96th birthday of Academy Award-winning actress Doris Day--another of author/filmmaker Garry McGee's favorite subjects (Doris Day: Sentimental Journey).
Jean Seberg publicity still from "The Mouse That Roared".
Jean told a reporter, "I never dreamt I'd be up at 5:30 this morning at home and running to catch a Chicago-bound plane to Des Moines so that I could make connections in Boston. I don't feel tired at all!"
Day would write a warm letter thanking Jean for covering for her. Happy birthday, Doris Day!
Keep up on all the news regarding the release of the award-winning Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg by Garry McGee and Kelly & Tammy Rundle on DVD at JeanSebergMovie.com!
