The political upheaval of May 1968 that failed to overthrow President Charles De Gaulle and the French institutions was yet to have a deep cultural impact and particularly in films. The French New Wave pioneers had already expressed their solidarity with the Workers movement during the Cannes Film festival, which they virtually paralyzed. However Truffaut, and Goddard were by then joined by newcomers such as Claude Lelouche, Alain Robbe-Grillet, or Claude Berri. The sexual content in films was to become more explicit and graphically detailed as opposed to most conventional films and particularly Hollywood productions.

Amongst the égeries of this era, Anicée Shahmanesh became known as the only sex bomb with Catherine Deneuve to rival Brigitte Bardot or Claudia Cardinal. She reached stardom under the screen name Anicée Alvina, playing a French girl in a British film hit called Friends, the music score of which propelled British Pop Star Elton John (**) as King of Pop. A story on two young lovers who decide to bring up their baby against social prejudices and conventions the film became emblematic for a whole generation. The film was followed by a sequel under the title Paul and Michelle (***) with equal success bringing the attention of French directors on the new French Star. After doing a small intrusion on the TV screens in a small role as a courtesan to Princess Sherazad in "A Thousand and One Nights", she was to work under the direction of Alain Robbe-Grillet (an author who launched the "Nouveau Roman" literary movement in France) who was to turn her into the new sex icon of the 70's in such films as Glissements Progressifs du Désir or Le Jeu avec le Feu (aka Playing with Fire) semi erotic films in the context of the seventies, for which the sensual forms of Anicée were once again put into contribution. Nevertheless Anicée proved that her body was not to be taken for granted and through a subtle performance, she marvelously manages to render some coherence in the movie director's extravagant script.