Farewell to Belmond: Macron spoke in the Invalides, an anthem sounded

Already on Thursday, the French actor paid tribute to the Invalidovna in Paris. According to the French server RTL, the Jean-Paul family wanted to hold the ceremony of national homage (French hommage national) modestly. The details of the official farewell in the Invalides were solved by the actor’s son Paul Belmondo with the presidential couple, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron.

In honor of Belmond, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke at the Invalides: “Jean-Paul Belmondo was a member of the family,” he said in an emotional speech. He paid tribute to “the hero of a thousand faces, whose career entertains thousands of people.” “Belmondo lived French life by our side,” the president said.

A minute of silence and a French anthem followed. There was also a military march, with soldiers carrying a coffin with an actor on their shoulders. According to Le Monde, the ceremony was attended by up to a thousand people.

In addition to the presidential couple, the Belmond family, his relatives, members of the government and representatives of culture and sports were also present. The ceremony was also broadcast on screens in front of the building. The grandson of the deceased actor, Victor Belmondo, also spoke in front of the president. “He is smiling where he is now and is very pleased with this honor,” he said in his speech. “Our grandfather is an endless smile. We think of you and we love you.”

He will forever remain The Magnificent. Jean-Paul Belmondo was a national treasure, full of panache and bursts of laughter, with loud words and swift body, sublime hero and familiar figure, tireless daredevil and magician of words. In him we all found ourselves. pic.twitter.com/4CVI9uwKLA

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 6, 2021

What is a national honor ceremony
The so-called national honor ceremony was originally intended only for soldiers. However, this official expression of national respect was extended to some important figures in French public life.

From 7.30 pm, the general public will also be able to say goodbye to the actor. The coffin will be displayed in the yard of the Invalidovna. For the first time, the court was opened for similar purposes on the occasion of a formal farewell to former President Jacques Chirac. On the day of the national honor, September 25, 2019, thousands of people came to say goodbye to him.

According to the France Bleu server, Friday’s official funeral will be followed by cremation in a family circle.

We thank you very affectionately and sincerely for all your condolences. ????

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and very sincerely for all your condolences. ????#JPB #JeanPaul #Belmondo #Prague #Prague pic.twitter.com/3Vti2bJMTa

– France in Prague (@France_CZ) September 9, 2021

Jean-Paul Belmondo was one of the most important and distinctive figures in French cinema. The man, nicknamed Bébel, has been the face of posters and a mark of success in projection halls for decades. It was already established in 1960 in Jean-Luc Godard’s film A bout de souffle, a legendary film of the French new wave.

Subsequently, however, he focused mainly on comedy and action films, in which he became famous. He has acted in more than eighty films. He served not only French cinema for over sixty years. With his death, France and French film lovers lose a well-known film character who embodied talent, courage and recklessness.

Examples of civilians to whom France has paid national honor:

– naval officer, oceanographer and inventor Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910-1997);

– the victims of the terrorist attack in Paris and Saint-Denis on 13 November 2015;

– author, composer and performer Charles Aznavour (1924-2018);

– or a number of French journalists, politicians or former resistance fighters.

The French president decides on the organization of this ceremony. He also decides on the exact rules that will prevail in the expression of honor. It can order the withdrawal of flags across the country for half a pole, a minute of silence, suspend administrative activities for one or more days, or declare a day of national mourning. It traditionally takes place in the Invalides Palace, which is an important Parisian military building. Important military leaders and military figures are buried here.

The national tribute to Jean-Paul Belmondo will take place at 4:30 p.m. this Thursday, September 9 at the Invalides in the presence of the government, the actor’s family and many personalities from the entertainment industry and sport. ? ❤️?

The Chaunu of the day! ✍️ pic.twitter.com/tlaWXfj4AN

– West-France (@OuestFrance) September 9, 2021

This ceremony is traditionally dedicated to soldiers who fell in the service of the homeland. The country paid tribute, for example, in 2017 to soldier Albéric Rivet, who died in Mali, and to police officer Xavier Jugelé, who was killed in the assassination of the Champs-Élysées in 2017.

The national honor ceremony is similar to a state funeral ceremony. This traditionally honors personalities of public, cultural or scientific life.

Which of the French personalities had a state funeral?

– writer Victor Hugo (1802–1885);

– scientist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895);

– 486 victims of the RAF bombing of Renault at Billancourt in 1942;

– writer Paul Valéry (1871-1945);

– artist Joséphine Baker (1906-1975);

– former President Jacques Chirac (1932-2019);

– a number of other artists and scientists, French generals and presidents; – Presidents such as Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou, François Mitterand and Valéry Giscard d’Estaing rejected the state funeral at the last will – a national mourning was declared in their honor.

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