French film review: And God Created Woman - Brigitte Bardot's iconic role
Explore the captivating allure of the actress in the film that redefined cinematic sensuality and empowered women
Bardot in her iconic dance scene from the film And God Created Woman
CHRISTOPHEL
Et Dieu… créa la femme (1956)
Dir: Roger Vadim
Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Curd Jürgens, Jean-Louis Trintignant
Running time: 95 mins
This month’s film choice pays homage to recently deceased screen icon Brigitte Bardot and also brings some much-needed Riviera sunshine to the screen.
The film, called And God Created Woman in English, catapulted the dazzlingly attractive, coquettish starlet to worldwide superstardom (it was more successful in the US than in France). It also, in its way, permitted women to have the courage to do and be whatever they wish, regardless of others’ opinions.
Set in Saint-Tropez – at the time a simple fishing village far from the super-glamorous tourist hotspot we know today – it tells of three men who vie for the love of Juliette, a sexually liberated 18-year-old orphan played by Bardot.
She flirts shamelessly, sunbathes nude and cavorts around barefoot, flouting social convention to shock locals and drive men wild with desire.
Plot-wise it is a little silly and convoluted as the lives of the various paramours criss-cross, but Bardot’s wild, unabashed sexual aura is the film’s captivating core. The infamous scene in which, with her skirt slit to the waist, she defies her ashamed husband to dance the mambo, has become a cinematic landmark.
The film was directed by her then husband, Roger Vadim (they divorced soon after).
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