The 49th César ceremony takes place this Friday, where 25 French cinema professionals will receive the prestigious trophy. The César statuette was inspired by a hydraulic press found in a landfill by sculptor César Baldaccini in 1960.
Why is the trophy called a “Caesar”?
The trophy “Caesar” is named after the sculptor of the statuettes, César Baldaccini, known for his “compressions”. In 1975, journalist and producer Joseph Cohen, also known as Georges Cravenne, wanted to create a French equivalent to the Oscars. This led to the creation of the Academy of Cinema Arts and Techniques, also known as the Academy of Césars, which recognises the most notable achievements in French cinema each year.
What represents the trophy?
The original version of the trophy created by César Balsaccini in 1976 represents a male silhouette surrounded by a reel of film. The current representation of the trophy is a rectangular sculpture made from a compression of patterns, representing furniture ornamentation.
How is the trophy made?
The Bocquel foundry in Normandy has been responsible for manufacturing the trophies since 1994. The process involves making molds in elastomer, creating wax trophies, pouring refractory plaster into a cylinder, cooking the cylinders, casting the bronze, and then a series of finishing processes including chiseling, welding, polishing, cleaning, and patinating. It takes nine people and nearly seven hours of work to make a single trophy.
How much does the trophy cost?
The trophy is not gold nor coated with a layer of gold, but is a block of hollow bronze polished with a red wax to achieve its final appearance. The statuettes measure 30 cm and weigh approximately 3.7 kg. Its value has not been officially disclosed, but the price of these trophies is estimated to be around 1500 euros. The Bocquel foundry emphasizes that the César is a work of art that cannot be bought or sold.
