Deneuve and Italian actor Michele Placido had just finished a reading from French author George Perec's book "I Remember" Wednesday evening when the crowd erupted in anger, whistling at the performers.

A crowd of 200 people massed in front of the ticket office shouting "thieves ... we want our money back," forcing police to intervene to keep the public calm.

The crowd agreed to leave only after organisers offered free tickets to another show during the La Versiliana festival in Lucca, Tuscany.

The 40-minute show, performed in French and Italian, is a collection of memories accompanied by music and images from the 1950s to the 1970s and is partly a tribute to Deneuve.

The audience appeared to have been angered that most of the show was in French.

"Maybe Catherine Deneuve should make an effort and perform in Italian" in future shows if a sub-title system is not installed, Placido told Italy's Sky television network.

Deneuve, who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in the 1992 film "Indochine", refused to comment on the audience's reaction after the show.