Project Cinema (8): Joanna

Guest-selector Skye unearthed two real gems:

She had the looks of a Francoise Hardy with sex: Canadian born actress Joanna Shimkus, who appeared in only two handful of movies (after those, Sidney Poitier married her right from the spot). Robert Enrico’s classic Les Aventuriers (1967) made her immortal: a melancholy ménage a trois with her torn between Delon and Lino Ventura, the finest romantic triangle movie of them all, miles above and lots more fun than Truffaut’s Jules et Jim. The soundtrack is by composer wizard Francois de Roubaix, kind of a French Morricone of the 60s who scored most gallic noir movies of the time, an artist of pure genius who drowned near Tenerife in 1975. Joanna’s probably only recorded song is a tune from Les Aventuriers, but not in the (strictly instrumental scored) movie – a wonderfully laid-back campfire version, simply irresistible.

Joanna Shimkus - Les Aventuriers
UPDATE: apparently, Joanna sang in more films. From another François de Roubaix compilation, here's a song from the movie Tante Zita:

Joanna Shimkus - Loin

Another fine example of Roubaix’s skills is a rarely known collaboration with La Bardot, undoubtedly one of her most extraordinaire achievements. Both songs are from Francois de Roubaix, Anthologie Vol. 2 (Play Time Records, Paris, 2000).

Brigitte Bardot - Ecoute les Tempes