Even though she had appeared in a number of other films this was the one that made her one of the greatest sex symbols in cinema and her life would be forever changed but the flip side of the coin is that film viewers would be changed forever also! Story takes place in St. Tropez, France where an 18 year old girl named Juliette Hardy (Brigitte Bardot) is making a bad name for herself cavorting with several of the male inhabitants in her area. She is told that she is going to be sent back to the orphanage but Juliette has an older admirer named Eric Carradine (Curd Jurgens) who is a rich developer and he wants to buy a local shipyard to build a casino. He convinces Michel Tardieu (Jean-Louis Trintignant) to get Juliette to marry him even though she is very much in love with his brother Antoine (Christian Marquand).
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Michel and Juliette get married and she does learn to love him as he does but she still can't help but to flirt with Antoine and this puts friction between them. Finally one day Antoine and Juliette are alone and they make love and when word spreads everyone tries to convince Michel to get her to leave but he doesn't want her to go. Juliette has found someone that is willing to put up with her wild nature despite the fact that even she thinks it's better to leave.
This film was directed by Roger Vadim who was married to Bardot at the time and even with the story being simple he knew exactly how to showcase his wife as a sex object since this was a side of her that he was familiar with. This is not a great thought provoking film or story but it's the perfect vehicle for Bardot to star in. There is no film without her and if you look at the type of shots used you'll notice the lack of close-ups as the camera seems positioned at a good distance away from a voyeurs point of view. The performances by the male actors seem a bit stiff but a veteran like Jurgens comes out the best and an actor with his talent can actually get away with lines like "That girl is made to destroy men". But I do disagree with critics that say Bardot just prances about like a brat and the scene towards the end of the film after she has just cheated on her husband shows her character at real odds with herself but lacks the maturity and self esteem to do anything about it. Vadim captures the colors of St. Tropez beautifully and this is a very colorful film to view. Not only do the colors of the area appear brightly but the blushing fleshtones of Bardot are equally showcased. The opening shot of the film shows a nude Bardot sunbathing and it helps set the mood which is carried through until the very end. While Vadim's marriage to Bardot was dwindling down this film started her on her journey as one of the most famous stars in cinema.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Michel and Juliette get married and she does learn to love him as he does but she still can't help but to flirt with Antoine and this puts friction between them. Finally one day Antoine and Juliette are alone and they make love and when word spreads everyone tries to convince Michel to get her to leave but he doesn't want her to go. Juliette has found someone that is willing to put up with her wild nature despite the fact that even she thinks it's better to leave.
This film was directed by Roger Vadim who was married to Bardot at the time and even with the story being simple he knew exactly how to showcase his wife as a sex object since this was a side of her that he was familiar with. This is not a great thought provoking film or story but it's the perfect vehicle for Bardot to star in. There is no film without her and if you look at the type of shots used you'll notice the lack of close-ups as the camera seems positioned at a good distance away from a voyeurs point of view. The performances by the male actors seem a bit stiff but a veteran like Jurgens comes out the best and an actor with his talent can actually get away with lines like "That girl is made to destroy men". But I do disagree with critics that say Bardot just prances about like a brat and the scene towards the end of the film after she has just cheated on her husband shows her character at real odds with herself but lacks the maturity and self esteem to do anything about it. Vadim captures the colors of St. Tropez beautifully and this is a very colorful film to view. Not only do the colors of the area appear brightly but the blushing fleshtones of Bardot are equally showcased. The opening shot of the film shows a nude Bardot sunbathing and it helps set the mood which is carried through until the very end. While Vadim's marriage to Bardot was dwindling down this film started her on her journey as one of the most famous stars in cinema.