Diksha Sundriyal
Directed by Richard Linklater, Netflix’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ takes the audience behind the scenes of ‘Breathless’ by Jean-Luc Godard. As the young filmmaker embarks on a journey that would make him an influential figure in cinema, he adopts a process that does not sit well with everyone, at least initially. The film’s lead actress, Jean Seberg, is one of the people who doubt whether Godard even knows what he is doing with the film. As she gets into the rhythm of filming, the film also explores her relationship with her husband, François Moreuil. By the end of the film, it is revealed that the couple got divorced soon after, but no specific reason is given for their split.
An Alleged Affair May Have Broken Jean Seberg and François Moreuil’s Marriage
In ‘Nouvelle Vague,’ as Jean starts to get more comfortable with Jean-Luc Godard’s process while also developing incredible chemistry with her co-star, Jean-Paul Belmondo, she begins to get more distant from her husband, François Moreuil. The film doesn’t dedicate a lot of time to getting into the depths of their relationship, but by the time filming wraps, it is clear that some tension has arisen between them. The reason behind that tension is not revealed, but it may have had to do with Jean’s alleged affair with the man who would become her second husband. Jean and François met in 1957, while she was filming Otto Preminger’s ‘Bonjour Tristesse.’ She had recently relocated to France, where she was exploring new career opportunities. She was invited to lunch by French industrialist Paul-Louis Weiller, who was also attended by François, a young lawyer four years her senior.
Later, François revealed that he was captivated by Jean’s wit and charm, along with her beauty, and it was love at first sight for them. Soon after, when the actress returned to America, François followed her, despite his father’s disapproval. He met with her family, and about a year after they met, the couple got married. They lived in France, where Jean eventually became a part of Godard’s debut feature, ‘Breathless.’ She also worked with François in his directorial debut, ‘Love Play.’ By that time, however, the strain in their relationship had started to appear. According to François, the reason for their marital conflict was Romain Gary. François claimed that Gary seduced his wife after they met at a party thrown by Gary as the French consul in LA at the time. He revealed that when he arrived at Gary’s house, the host asked if he could step into his shoes. François later took it as a sign that Gary had meant to step into his place as Jean’s partner.
After the party, François left for France, while Jean stayed in America for a while before she returned to him. When production on his film began, their marriage started to fall apart, as both described the process as “pure hell.” François claimed that, one time, Jean had a hysterical fit which led to her hospitalisation, where visitors were not allowed, but Gary visited her nonetheless. Shortly after her discharge, she left with Gary. François claimed that Jean never served him a summons and got a divorce in Los Angeles on the grounds of “mental cruelty,’ and he only found out about it from the radio. Jean, however, did not address the reason behind the divorce, although she did hint that while they worked on François’s film, things had stopped working between them. However, she did not address whether the affair was before or after they’d separated, which leaves the fans only François’ version as the explanation for why they got divorced.
Read More: Where Was Nouvelle Vague Filmed?
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