--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s not uncommon for distinguished…" description: "\"“It’s not uncommon for distinguished French actresses to make their first films while still in their teens. Isabelle Adjani, Isabelle Carré, Charlotte ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/mick-lasalle-23709_french-cinema_it-s-not-uncommon-for-distinguished-fren_2177176.jpg" --- # It’s not uncommon for distinguished French actresses to… ![“It’s not uncommon for distinguished French actresses to make their first films while still in their teens. Isabelle Adjani, Isabelle Carré, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marie Gillain, Sophie Marceau, and Ludivine Sagnier—you’ll hear more about them later—all made an impression before their twentieth…” quote by Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/mick-lasalle-23709_french-cinema_it-s-not-uncommon-for-distinguished-fren_2177176.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/mick-lasalle-23709_french-cinema_it-s-not-uncommon-for-distinguished-fren_2177176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39b/mick-lasalle-23709_french-cinema_it-s-not-uncommon-for-distinguished-fren_2177176.jpg) > ““It’s not uncommon for distinguished French actresses to make their first films while still in their teens. Isabelle Adjani, Isabelle Carré, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marie Gillain, Sophie Marceau, and Ludivine Sagnier—you’ll hear more about them later—all made an impression before their twentieth birthday. That teenage actresses can regularly, naturally and seamlessly move into adult roles is illustrative of French cinema’s way of seeing a woman’s life as all of a piece, as one smooth flow from childhood to youth to maturity to old age.”” [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. French cinema treats a woman's life as a continuous narrative, allowing actresses to transition smoothly from teenage to adult roles. **In simple terms:** French film sees women's lives as a seamless whole. Key Takeaway Embrace continuity in storytelling. Themes film gender career culture continuity Mood reflective analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - casting young talent - career development - film criticism - cultural analysis Key Concepts cinematic narrative life stages role transition Questions to Reflect On - How does this perspective affect representation? - What are the risks of idealizing life continuity? A Different Perspective May overlook individual struggles behind the seamless portrayal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actresses Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actresses-make-795403/) [Actresses Regularly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actresses-regularly-4686762/) [Films Teens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films-teens-3468782/) [French Actresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/french-actresses-2176024/) [French cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/french-cinema/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Teenage Actresses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenage-actresses-4686761/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [If I don't work very often, it's because what I read is written for formidable actresses, but actresses who make a habit of playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-adjani/if-i-don-t-work-very-often-it-s-because-what-i-read-is-written-for/) [Isabelle Adjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-adjani/) > [There are many animation films out there for teens, tweens and family but there are not that many real life stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-nelisse/there-are-many-animation-films-out-there-for-teens-tweens-and-family/) [Sophie Nelisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-nelisse/) > [I find that the stuff on television is more exciting than the films, which are for teens almost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-grant/i-find-that-the-stuff-on-television-is-more-exciting-than-the-films/) [Lee Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-grant/) > [Today, everybody is always rushing. Designers have to make collections one after the other. Actresses have to make movies one after the other. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haider-ackermann/today-everybody-is-always-rushing-designers-have-to-make-collections/) [Haider Ackermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haider-ackermann/) > [There are a lot of French actresses who just hate me now. I've made enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-laurent/there-are-a-lot-of-french-actresses-who-just-hate-me-now-i-ve-made/) [Melanie Laurent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-laurent/) > [“FRENCH CINEMA IS SO RICH in opportunities for actresses of talent that a career needn’t build quickly, with a few star-making turns. It can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/french-cinema-is-so-rich-in-opportunities-for-actresses-of-talent/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN provided by French cinema don’t need to be exaggerated. The number of films either starring or dealing primarily with women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/the-opportunities-for-women-provided-by-french-cinema-don-t-need-to/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [There's a kind of amateurishness among French actresses, but I don't share that completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clemence-poesy/there-s-a-kind-of-amateurishness-among-french-actresses-but-i-don-t/) [Clemence Poesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clemence-poesy/) > [“FRENCH CINEMA’S PORTRAITS of the young woman on her own constitute a strong and enriching strain in recent decades. Some of these films are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/french-cinema-s-portraits-of-the-young-woman-on-her-own-constitute-a/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT FRENCH CINEMA, specifically the women of today’s French cinema—a subject as vital as life and as irresistible as movies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/this-is-a-book-about-french-cinema-specifically-the-women-of-today-s/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [There's still a bit of a problem, in that so many leading English roles are taken by American or French actresses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joely-richardson/there-s-still-a-bit-of-a-problem-in-that-so-many-leading-english/) [Joely Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joely-richardson/) > [French cinema has always been very interesting, and it's still very powerful. I think it goes to show that it's great to still have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-leterrier/french-cinema-has-always-been-very-interesting-and-it-s-still-very/) [Louis Leterrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-leterrier/) > [I pity the French Cinema because it has no money. I pity the American Cinema because it has no ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-pity-the-french-cinema-because-it-has-no-money-i-pity-the-american/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I am still associated with a heroic period in French cinema, and my name remains linked to this period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-am-still-associated-with-a-heroic-period-in-french-cinema-and-my/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [My film-making is the privilege of French cinema. I would have to do things totally differently elsewhere. But I think I could learn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-sciamma/my-film-making-is-the-privilege-of-french-cinema-i-would-have-to-do/) [Celine Sciamma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-sciamma/) ## More by Mick LaSalle > [“There is no one way of seeing. Nor is there a right way of seeing. Yet simply to accept the notion that both the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/there-is-no-one-way-of-seeing-nor-is-there-a-right-way-of-seeing-yet/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [ “For all of \[Fanny\] Ardant’s ability to depict a range of emotion, I most associate her with joy. Not necessarily the depiction of joy,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/for-all-of-fanny-ardant-s-ability-to-depict-a-range-of-emotion-i-most/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT FRENCH CINEMA, specifically the women of today’s French cinema—a subject as vital as life and as irresistible as movies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/this-is-a-book-about-french-cinema-specifically-the-women-of-today-s/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“FRENCH CINEMA’S PORTRAITS of the young woman on her own constitute a strong and enriching strain in recent decades. Some of these films are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/french-cinema-s-portraits-of-the-young-woman-on-her-own-constitute-a/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“Drama and comedy are the polite genres, founded on collectively agreed-upon ideas, perceptions and truths. But life, as subjectively experienced, is not like comedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/drama-and-comedy-are-the-polite-genres-founded-on-collectively-agreed/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“THE NATURE OF FRENCH STARDOM (beginning early, staying late) makes it possible for a woman to grow up on screen. Marceau has been in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/the-nature-of-french-stardom-beginning-early-staying-late-makes-it/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“The slow blossoming of a notable career is sometimes a matter of a talent finding its way. Sometimes it’s a matter of audiences coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/the-slow-blossoming-of-a-notable-career-is-sometimes-a-matter-of-a/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“No longer stereotypes, these screen women had become complicated. This combination of sensuality, independence and playfulness, made them fascinating to watch and completely modern.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/no-longer-stereotypes-these-screen-women-had-become-complicated-this/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“...the best thing an individual movie lover can do is have fun. No great movement can happen in popular art without pure pleasure being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/the-best-thing-an-individual-movie-lover-can-do-is-have-fun-no-great/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [Before the code, women on screen took lovers, had babies out of wedlock, got rid of cheating husbands, enjoyed their sexuality, held down professional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/before-the-code-women-on-screen-took-lovers-had-babies-out-of-wedlock/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [To watch THE WAITING ROOM is to wish it would never end. This is human drama at its most intense and universal. The rare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/to-watch-the-waiting-room-is-to-wish-it-would-never-end-this-is-human/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [Bill Maher does something amazing in Religulous. He makes Michael Moore look incredibly likable in comparison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/bill-maher-does-something-amazing-in-religulous-he-makes-michael/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“WHEN I INTERVIEWED ISABELLE HUPPERT, I mentioned in passing that she has the strongest body of work of any actress in the world. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/when-i-interviewed-isabelle-huppert-i-mentioned-in-passing-that-she/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [To see the films coming out of France is to break into a vast treasure and become liberated...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/to-see-the-films-coming-out-of-france-is-to-break-into-a-vast/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“I feel Italian, but I also feel French,” she said. “Italy is deeper. France is strong, but it’s after.” Actually, one of the surprises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/i-feel-italian-but-i-also-feel-french-she-said-italy-is-deeper-france/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) [Explore all 25 Mick LaSalle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) ## More French cinema quotes > [“THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT FRENCH CINEMA, specifically the women of today’s French cinema—a subject as vital as life and as irresistible as movies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/this-is-a-book-about-french-cinema-specifically-the-women-of-today-s/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [“FRENCH CINEMA’S PORTRAITS of the young woman on her own constitute a strong and enriching strain in recent decades. Some of these films are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/french-cinema-s-portraits-of-the-young-woman-on-her-own-constitute-a/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) > [My film-making is the privilege of French cinema. I would have to do things totally differently elsewhere. But I think I could learn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-sciamma/my-film-making-is-the-privilege-of-french-cinema-i-would-have-to-do/) [Celine Sciamma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-sciamma/) > [I am still associated with a heroic period in French cinema, and my name remains linked to this period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-am-still-associated-with-a-heroic-period-in-french-cinema-and-my/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [I pity the French Cinema because it has no money. I pity the American Cinema because it has no ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-pity-the-french-cinema-because-it-has-no-money-i-pity-the-american/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [French cinema has always been very interesting, and it's still very powerful. I think it goes to show that it's great to still have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-leterrier/french-cinema-has-always-been-very-interesting-and-it-s-still-very/) [Louis Leterrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-leterrier/) > [I don't think life gets any better than sitting in the sun while a legend of French cinema tells you stories about making 'Belle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/i-don-t-think-life-gets-any-better-than-sitting-in-the-sun-while-a/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [French cinema allows women to look... a certain way and be talented at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-bellman/french-cinema-allows-women-to-look-a-certain-way-and-be-talented-at/) [Gina Bellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-bellman/) > [I want viewers want to talk about The Conquest. I want the dialogue to start after the movie. The cinema is there to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavier-durringer/i-want-viewers-want-to-talk-about-the-conquest-i-want-the-dialogue-to/) [Xavier Durringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavier-durringer/) > [All my life, I have loved and been inspired by French cinema, and as a studio head it has been my pride and joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-weinstein/all-my-life-i-have-loved-and-been-inspired-by-french-cinema-and-as-a/) [Harvey Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-weinstein/) > [This is one of the things I don't like so much about French cinema - we have tendency to concentrate on actors and dialogue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pierre-jeunet/this-is-one-of-the-things-i-don-t-like-so-much-about-french-cinema-we/) [Jean-Pierre Jeunet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pierre-jeunet/) > [When I was a young man, my friends and I and all of us in New York were very influenced by French cinema. French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/when-i-was-a-young-man-my-friends-and-i-and-all-of-us-in-new-york/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [It's the golden age of French cinema again but it's because Sarkozy had the guts to push through copyright law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-weinstein/it-s-the-golden-age-of-french-cinema-again-but-it-s-because-sarkozy/) [Harvey Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-weinstein/) > [I didn't want to be part of that tradition of French cinema that wasn't really watched by the people of my age. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-cassel/i-didn-t-want-to-be-part-of-that-tradition-of-french-cinema-that-wasn/) [Vincent Cassel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-cassel/) > [“THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN provided by French cinema don’t need to be exaggerated. The number of films either starring or dealing primarily with women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-lasalle/the-opportunities-for-women-provided-by-french-cinema-don-t-need-to/) [Mick LaSalle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-lasalle/) [Browse all 25 French cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/french-cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It’s not uncommon for distinguished French actresses to make their first films while still in their teens. Isabelle Adjani, Isabelle Carré, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marie Gillain, Sophie Marceau, and Ludivine Sagnier—you’ll hear more about them later—all made an impression before their twentieth birthday. 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