Below is one of my favorite dance scenes from any film, from one of my (also) favorite French movies, Fanfan. Lord, talk about a movie that could never be made today.

I love the scene because Sophie Marceau is so natural and free while still being graceful. She doesn’t really dance like a dancer but every single thing about her is so much fun that the fact that she is not trained just makes it all the better. I wonder how many takes that scene had? I bet a whole lot. It requires a whole heap of rehearsal to make something look that unrehearsed. (Unfortunately, I could not find a higher-quality clip.)

And here is an older interview (in French) with Marceau. I like that French TV shows actually talk about substantive subjects with their interviewees, unlike American ones.