Film of the Week — *Bellissima*, by Luchino Visconti

The Trouville-sur-Mer film club, Ciné Coup de Cœur, invites you to a unique film evening every month: a classic film is screened, followed by a discussion led by a fascinating guest speaker. On the last Friday of every month, come and enjoy a friendly and enriching cinematic experience, in the company of those who bring cinema to life.

For this October screening, Ciné Coup de Cœur is renewing its partnership with the Villa Montebello Museum, with Karl Laurent, the museum’s director, in attendance.

The film

*Bellissima*, by Luchino Visconti (1951, 1 hr 56 mins), starring Anna Magnani, Walter Chiari and Tina Apicella — original version with subtitles.

At Cinecittà, in post-war Italy, director Alessandro Blasetti holds auditions to find a child star for his next film. Maddalena sees this as an opportunity for her daughter Maria to have a better life. She therefore sacrifices her marriage and her savings to pay for the lessons that will turn her into a star. Finally, the big day of the auditions arrives…

A pivotal work in Visconti’s filmography, *Bellissima* moves away from pure neorealism to take a more critical and social look at the world of cinema. The film takes a swipe at the myth of Cinecittà and the ‘dream factory’, which thrives on popular illusions. Critics unanimously praised Anna Magnani’s performance: moving, volcanic and authentic, she rejected all glamorous make-up and delivered a raw performance, which was rewarded with the Silver Ribbon for Best Actress in 1952. Now regarded as one of Visconti’s finest films, it is being screened in a splendidly restored print.

The Guest

The evening will be hosted by Francis Miller, a painter and photographer with a nomadic spirit. From Montreal to Manila, from Tokyo to Sydney, from the roads of India to those of the United States, travel nourishes his vision and his imagination. In 1985, he settled in Paris, in the Marais, where he founded Miller et Bertaux, a pioneering space blending fashion, perfumes and objets d’art. At the same time, he pursued a personal body of work comprising paintings, drawings, photographs, collages and textiles. Over time, Trouville-sur-Mer became his refuge and a source of inspiration: his work *77 Sunsets / Trouville-sur-Mer is on display at the Musée Villa Montebello as part of the exhibition ‘Meteorological Beauties: the Skies of Trouville, from Boudin to the Present Day’, from 17 October 2026 to 3 January 2027.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the audience.

Practical information:
– Date: Friday 30 October 2026
– Time: 7.15 pm
– Venue: Salon Eiffel, Cures Marines, boulevard de la Cahotte, 14360 Trouville-sur-Mer
– Admission: €7 – members: €5 – free for under-18s
– Booking: recommended via the Tourist Office or the online ticket office