Brigitte Bardot 5-Film Collection [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

A great Bardot set for both those who've seen her best known films and those looking for an introduction to one of the great sex symbols of all time. Films in this set are some lesser known ones but selected from all eras of her career to give a great overview.

all films appear newly remastered - pristine prints. All panavision films presented widescreen. Includes a documentary on the Bardot phenomenon called, "Brigitte Bardot: Larger Than Life" that covers the range of her life and career including the films she made with the French New Wave. Includes interviews with Hugh Hefner and a few French film experts.

five films in the set include:

NAUGHTY GIRL (1956)co-written by Bardot's husband/svengali - Vadim just a year before her breakthrough hit "And God Created Woman". Fun romp with Bardot in her early gamin look. Color/ widescreen

COME DANCE WITH ME (1959) - wild mix of genres from gangster film to musical to sex comedy. Plus you get to see Bardot dance which is a treat in and of itself. color

LOVE ON A PILLOW (1962) - co-written and directed by Vadim. Taken from biographical elements of Bardot's life. A man tries to commit suicide and is helped in his recovery by Bardot. Co-starring Robert Hossein. Good early Vadim film. More dramatic role for Bardot like her roles in COntempt and The Truth. color/widescreen

TWO WEEKS IN SEPTEMBER (1967) - Swinging London in the late 60's. Great print with wonderful colors. Cool shots of London, underground clubs and a very sexy Bardot in her more familiar blonde bomshell look. Color/widescreen

THE VIXEN (1969) - Bardot helps a writer get through his writer's block as only she knows how to do. Toward the end of her career but Bardot still looks fantastic. And shows a more mature comedic talent. color

Several of these films were released in 2000 from Anchor Bay. But this set includes better prints and nice supplemental material. A good addition for the foreign cinephile's library.

Being a lover of retro European cinema and a Bardot fan, for a couple of decades now, I was delighted that these much sought after collector additions of "Bardot" or 'BB' (as she was/is known to the French), films was now available from amazon. Speaking from a female point of view, to me Brigitte Bardot, was France's own answer to Marilyn Monroe. Not that one should compare her in many respects (and she certainly would resist such comparisons), but the impact she had on contemporary cinema, culture, fashion, and sexuality (including the womens movement), is often under-estimated. Even when you look around today, at both American and European actresses and models, Bardot's influence is ever more apparent. The full lips (though unlike Bardot, often cosmetically enhanced mind you), the bed hair, the adrogynously sensual body ,the pout and childishly carefree, earthy sexuality, that Bardot introduced into vogue, are still much evident in today's style. Most young audiences wouldn't realize that Bardot really was ahead of her time and set the trend for generations to come. A 'petite bourgeois' from a conservative Parisian family, who though launched onto the screen by first husband and director 'Vadim', somewhat innocently and quite unselfconsciously become a pioneer and symbol of the new female sexuality. A reaction (or perhaps continental offering)to post world war II and 1950's American morality. Bardot was quite simply the original 'sex kitten', a phrase perfectly suited to her unique playful, child/woman brand of sex appeal.
Yet underneath the tousled mane of bleached blond hair, provocative figure and pout, you could tell Bardot had a brain, a star quality and sensitive intelligence that often both carried and eclipsed, mediocre scripts, direction and male co-stars.
This quality dvd collection of subtitled (thank goodness, not dubbed), BB films, (all in colour for those interested) covers a varied selection of works: from the early very young, gamine, mid-fifties style Brigitte(Naughty Girl /'Cette Sacree Gamine')and late 50's Classic 'blonde bombshell,pin-up' Bardot(Come Dance With Me/Voulez Vouz Dancer Avec Moi?); to the early beatnik and then later swinging sixties style of (Love On A Pillow'/ Les Repos du Guerrier' and 'Two Weeks in September/'A Coeur Joie'). And finally, moving into the very early 70's stage of her movie career, not long from retirement, with (The Vixen/ 'Les Femmes'). It also features an extra, rather well narrated short documentary on 'Bardot', the Mythology of the Sex Symbol, with Hugh Heffner amongst those interviewed.
French cinema watchers and enthusiasts no doubt often found some of the English and 'Hollywood' re-naming of these films rather frivolous and silly. They often totally miss the point and don't translate the meaning at all. But one must remember I suppose, at that time the object was to sell 'The Bardot' sexy image rather than the films themselves; their French 'arty' nature often being lost on American mainstream audiences. But for example, retitling 'Le Repos du Guerrier' which translates in English to 'Warrior's Rest', or 'Warrior Comes to Rest' to 'Love on a Pillow', is rather ridicuously 'fluffy' and shallow, given the somewhat dark side to the films' premise. That being: an abusive alcoholic's, co-dependant and destructive relationship with a pretty, middle class young woman. When you think of how worlds apart American cinema was at that time to the more sophisticated earthy nature of the French, it's only more testament to Bardot's star power to sell these films abroard. She really did play a major part in putting French and foreign films in general, on the world map. And though hardly raising an eyebrow by today's standards, they were very risque for their time, certainly as far as mainstream films go.
Out of this collection. I enjoyed "Les Femmes" (Where Bardot shows wit and flair for sardonic comedy and timing along with tremendous 'chic', though I found the flashbacks on the previous women/lovers, boring) and " Voulez Vous Dancer Avec Moi?";(Brigitte, I think at her most stunningly beautiful and charming - a great dancer too! and assisted by a strong supporting cast), the most. Both delightful light, romantic comedies, which I think always suited Bardot best.
Perhaps strictly for Bardot fans, none the less it gives you a glimpse into Bardot's career as an actress and French super star/sex symbol. Though there are times when Bardot appears a little bored in her films, as if going through the motions, almost bemused at the larger than life image and legend created around her. She none the less is always a pleasure to watch. If not always a great actress, then certainly always an interesting and beautiful presence. It's not surprising really that Bardot retired early to devote her life to caring for animals. No doubt she not only got fed up with it all, but was smart enough to realize it best to quit on top of her game. Leave before youthful beauty began to fade, and let her myth and icon perpetuate itself, as it has continued to do.

The BB Collection is a general overview of Ms. Bardot's Body of work from the mid 1950's to the late 1960's. We can see a young but ingenous starlet mature into a compitent actress over the years. She steals the show in several otherwise mediocre films. The video quality varies from film to film so don't expect much, from poor to fair, compared to todays crisper lines and more realistic coloring. Audio quality is often quite poor. The writing and storylines are of course dated, present day expectations are to be left for comparison only, anyone expecting modern scenarios or production values will be sorely disappointed.
For historical value I give this choice a 5, for overall quality a 3, Remember these are not Bridget Bardot's better films. The story value I would give a 2, I have seen similar films that hold interest better, the films as a vehicle for Bidget is the primary draw. For younger viewers, many of these films were rather risque when they were released, though tame by today's standards. They do show an interesting evolution in cinema, and in one actresses career.