Five years after his death, the Cinémathèque française is dedicating an exhibition to Jean-Paul Belmondo, featuring personal archives, posters, costumes, and previously unseen photographs, along with a retrospective of thirty-five films, from October 7, 2026, to January 31, 2027.

He runs across rooftops, boxes, jumps out of a helicopter, and when he stops, it's to light a cigarette by the side of a road straight out of Pierrot le Fou. Jean-Paul Belmondo was two actors at once: the herald of the New Wave in films by Godard, Truffaut, and Melville, and the biggest popular star of French cinema in the seventies and eighties, in films by de Broca and Lelouch, and later in big-budget action movies where he refused to use stunt doubles. More than ninety films, and only one smile.

The Cinémathèque française recounts this dual career with what the family and collections have preserved: personal archives revealed for the first time by his son Paul, posters, costumes, and never-before-seen photographs, from his beginnings in the mid-1950s to his stunt work. The exhibition is curated by Clémentine Deroudille, who also edited the catalogue published by Albin Michel. "Belmondo, the Magnificent" is accompanied by a retrospective of thirty-five films in theaters, as well as talks and lectures. We're going to see him run again.

To continue: our list of the top new exhibitions in Paris and our Cinema section.

THE FRENCH CINEMATHEQUE
From October 7, 2026 to January 31, 2027
51 rue de Bercy, 75012 - Metro: Bercy (Lines 6, 14)
Mon. to Fri. 12pm-7pm, Sat. and Sun. 11am-8pm, Closed on Tue.
Price: €14 - Reduced price: €11