Viva Maria! (1965) User Reviews

Bosoms and ballistics but still frothy and feminine

[Chris_Docker · 7/10 · 22 June 2008]

Louis Malle made a total of four films with Jeanne Moreau that couldn't be more different. He established critical acclaim for both of them with Lift to the Scaffold, then a ban for the amorous Les Amants. A dark meditation came five years later with The Fire Within, followed almost immediately by this highly commercial, enjoyable, lightweight romp.

Viva Maria! is a joyous celebration of female bonding across early twentieth century Mexico as the two Marias – played by Jeanne Moreau and Bridget Bardot – right wrongs, take their fill of life and love, lead a revolution, blow things up, invent striptease, and help men to shoot round corners.

We meet the first Maria while she is still a child. Before the opening credits have finished, she has gaily helped Dad blow up the English many times. Ireland 1891. London 1894. Gibraltar 1901. Finally in Central America she has to blow up Dad while the baddies are still shooting him on the bridge. Undeterred, she continues alone, now a young woman (in the form of tomboy Bridget Bardot), catching a train on the run as we catch the last of the opening titles. It was a hectic race. As she finally sits down on the tail of the train we enjoy her sigh of exertion and relief.

Before long, Bardot Maria has teamed up with travelling singer, Moreau Maria – who she holds at knifepoint before becoming bosom buddies. The next visual gasp comes as Bardot takes off her cap – a moment Malle milks for all it is worth. Somehow concealed under the boyish hat, long golden locks fall down. Bardot sheds her androgynous Calamity Jane look for full-on pout and the camera lingers knowingly. This pistol-totin' gal will bed whoever takes her fancy and chalk their names up on the inside wall of the wagon. It is the classic Bardot imagery – that inspired both 'bardolâtrie' and comments of noted feminist Simone de Beauvoir defending her as a manifestation of a new, artifice-free type of femininity, "as much a hunter as she is a prey."

During the tours of the musical theatre circus, the pair perform a number where an accidentally ripped dress leads them to accidentally invent striptease. Although they only bare down to their knickerbockers, the show is a smash hit, considerably raising the troupe's profile and income.

By this point, silly but hilariously executed gags have become well-entrenched. Men pay to see the show with chickens if they have no money. English colonials speak with frightfully proper accents and discuss tea. The two girls join the revolution after Bardot, who has a common sense objection to injustice, takes a pot shot at a local bad guy chief. (St Miguel is owned by four families – details are hazy – presumably the English stay in the background drinking tea and the Catholic Church stays with whoever's winning.) The Marias are being worshipped by the populace (due to another hilarious accident) and put to the Rack – the Catholic Inquisition having apparently stayed over a few centuries in Mexico rather than returning to Spain. The Mexican Inquisition is linked visually to that other popular pogrom, the Klu Klux Klan.

Viva Maria! almost sags in the middle from the weight of non-stop action. It is a great tribute to Malle's skill that everything has gone so perfectly when so much could easily have gone wrong. But just as it starts to get a bit samey, Moreau surprises everyone, audience and other characters alike, by a big soliloquy after the death of her hunky proletariat lover. "It's her big scene," comments one of the locals as Moreau descends the stairs with Shakespearean majesty. Perhaps it was this scene that clinched her Bafta in a close race with Bardot that year.

The last half proves a roller coaster of inventive explosions and gags that keep us endlessly on the edge of our seat. Viva Maria! is straight entertainment with no attempt to be deep and meaningful. Yet, unlike many lightweight mainstream films, its dominant ideologies are refreshingly subversive.

Viva Maria! (1965) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 11 February 2006]

This vastly enjoyable romp features Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau at their loveliest as two saloon entertainers who (inadvertently) not only find themselves in the middle of the Mexican Revolution, but also invent striptease in the process! VIVA MARIA! sees Louis Malle return to the "anything goes" territory of his earlier success, ZAZIE DANS LE METRO (1960); here he is aided immeasurably by an engaging cast (which also includes Luis Bunuel regular, Claudio Brook and an understandably daunted George Hamilton!) and an impeccable crew (co-screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere, cinematographer Henri Decae, composer Georges Delerue, assistant directors Juan Bunuel and Volker Schlondorff)! While the film is uneven in spots, the last half hour is a succession of hilarious sight gags which border at times, perhaps unsurprisingly given its credentials, on the surreal and the anti-clerical.

Bardot - Armed and dangerous

[greenheart · 6/10 · 6 February 2007]

If I was asked what genre this film should be put in, I'd really struggle. I guess it's a Vaudeville black farce comedy musical which occasionally breaks into a spaghetti Western. The daft thing is that it kind of works. Bardot must surely be one of the most gorgeous women ever to grace the silver screen, you simply cannot take your eyes off her. Skimpy clothing, wild strawberry hair and a machine gun in her hand, you need a cold shower after watching this! I'm not sure that I believed her as being of Irish descent but was willing to forgive her anything. There are moments of sublime comedy and I don't think I'll ever trust a homing pigeon again. Not to be taken too seriously but great, great fun.

Stands up well today!

[bamptonj · 9 June 2003]

VIVA MARIA, a French-Italian co-production, is set in the revolution-torn Mexico in the early 1900s. Maria (Brigitte Bardot) - the daughter of an IRA operative - journeys to Mexico and meets up with her namesake Jeanne Moreau. Under the guise of circus/vaudevillian entertainers, they pursue their revolutionary activities around the countryside. The illustrious pair are captured but escape to fight with an enthusiastic peasantry to free San Miguel from its Spanish oppressors. Thoroughly entertaining and rollicking fun with spectacular visual action. Most of the film was shot on location in Mexico and the railway scenes filmed authentically on the 3ft gauge Interoceanic division of National Railways of Mexico. The featured steam loco is G-023 class 2-8-0 No. 66 (Alco 5209).

Interesting failure

[zetes · 6/10 · 4 May 2002]

Two vaudeville performers touring South America get involved in a revolution. It's somewhat similar to Woody Allen's Bananas. These two women are played by the impossibly gorgeous Brigette Bardot and the eternally pensive Jeane Moreau. The film is an action comedy, or at least that's what it's going for. But Louis Malle is definitely not up to it. He's actually one of my favorite directors of all time, but he has little idea what he's doing making this film. It must have been the most expensive French film at the time. Malle's previous film, The Fire Within, was a study on suicide and had about, I don't know, ten characters at the most. Viva Maria! has a billion extras and a ton of speaking parts. It also has elaborate action sequences. The whole picture comes off sloppy. The comedy is especially poor. Almost nothing hits, nearly everything misses. The jokes are very poorly timed. I think I laughed at one of them.

Viva Maria! is worth watching though as a curio. Except for the comic moments, Malle's direction isn't bad. And Bardot and Moreau are always fun to watch. If for nothing else, watch it for the many strip teases they do near the beginning of the film. There are also a couple of very bizarre but wonderful scenes, like the almost Persona-esque "Lady in White" scene, where Moreau and Bardot (with a little magical help from the editing machine) dazzle, dizzy, and confound a Mexican baron. The color cinematography is also quite beautiful. It's worth a watch if you have nothing better to watch. 6/10.

Tongue-in-cheek-comedy with Bardot and Moreau as two dancers become brave revolutionaries

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 21 August 2022]

Set in somewhere in Central America in 1907 : Maria II (Brigitte Bardot) is the daughter of an Irish terrorist. After her father's death , she meets Maria I (Jeanne Morau) , a singer in a circus traveling through Central America and Mexico. She decides to stay with the circus, subsequently turned into a show including strip-tease and makes the spectacle famous . Then they accidentally meet a socialist revolutionary , Flores (George Hamilton) , and Maria falls in love with this notorious leader. The film chronicles the title role , two guerrilla leaders called Maria who flourished in the early part of the XX Century with broadened focus on the filming their feats and wars . The two become incensed by the poverty of the peasants and decide to turn revolutionary . When Flores is seriously injured , Maria promises him to go on the revolution against the tyrant military . Viva Bardot! Viva Moreau! Viva Maria!. Viva Fun! Viva Can-Can! Viva Adventure! Viva Strip Tease! Viva Love! Viva Boom-Boom! Just in case you can't catch the words above the roar of battle and laughter you can read 'em at the bottom of the screen. Viva Bardot! Viva Moreau! .Viva Bardot! Viva Moreau! (Viva Don't Miss It!).

Colorful portrayal of two revolutionary leaders - both named Maria- who find themselves leading a revolution against the nasty dictator , the mean capitalists , the cruel military and the inquisitive Church, being entirely filmed in spectacular Mexican exteriors . This is an exciting historical film about two rebels and a number of patriots , containing a succession of fights , shootouts , pursuits , raids and breathtaking frames . This vibrant movie is an uneven rehash of the Mexican leaders who early XX century carried out a series of upheavals against the established power and dictatorships , including epic battles , explosions , chases , overwhelming scenes and resulting to be a feast of action for the eyes. Big-budgeted film by producer Óscar Dancigers -who financed Luis Buñuel's Mexican films- with hundreds of extras , a lot of riders , and using trains and weaponry for the filming . Starring duo are frankly magnificent as the sex-pot dancers turned into notorious and rowdy bandits , as they're almost-perfect in title role . Bombshell Brigitte Bardot is very charming as a dancer who on her debut as a singer, she unintentionally invents the strip-tease , while attractive Jeanne Moreau is nice as expert shooter and by the way has an affair with revolutionary leader Hamilton who promptly gets killed . The two French sex symbols are fine match . Being a French/Mexican co-production , here appears several important Mexican secondarian actors giving fine interpretations such as : Caudio Brook , Carlos López Moctezuma , Adriana Roel , and Francisco Reiguera who played Quijote in Orson Welles' Don Quixote .

It packs brilliant and sunny cinematography by prestigious cameraman Henri Decaë, shot on location in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Guanajuato, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. As well as rousing and lively musical score by composer Georges Delerue. The motion picture was well directed by Louis Malle . Filmmaker Louis Malle who married Candice Bergen is considered to be one of the best French directors of film history . He made good movies, usuallly with big name actors playing intelligent dramas and regarding interesting and brooding issues. As Malle directed various important films as "Frantic" , "The lovers" with Jeanne Moreau, "A very private affair" , "Viva Maria" with Brigitte Bardot and Moreau, "The fire within", "Spirits of the dead" , "Murmur of the heart", "Pretty baby" with Brooke Shields, My dinner with Andre, Atlantic City with Burt Lancaster, Susan Sarandon, "Crackers", "Alamo Bay" with Ed Harris, "May fools" , "Damage" with Jeremy Irons and "Vanya on 42nd Street", among others. Rating : 6.5/10. Better than average. Well worth watching. Essential indispensable seeing for Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau fans.

Carry On the Revolution!

[JamesHitchcock · 6/10 · 19 December 2008]

In her native France, Brigitte Bardot enjoyed at the height of her career a similar reputation to that enjoyed by, say, Audrey Hepburn or Elizabeth Taylor in Britain; a great screen actress who also happened to be a great beauty. In the English-speaking world, however, Bardot's reputation was rather different, more that of a great beauty who also happened to be…… "well, she's obviously an actress of some sort, but I can't actually think of anything she's ever been in". She was idolised by millions of men who had never seen any of her films, possibly the only actress to become an international sex symbol without any help from Hollywood.

Although "Viva Maria!" was a French film, it was also released in an English-language version, which gave some of those men a chance to see their idol on the screen without worrying about subtitles. The film is based around a similar concept to that in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", that of teaming a famous blonde sex symbol with a brunette equivalent. Like Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in the original, Bardot and Jeanne Moreau differed not only in colouring but also in their screen persona. The blondes, Monroe and Bardot, both retained a sort of girlish innocence throughout their careers, whereas the brunettes Russell and Moreau, both several years older than their blonde counterparts, had more of a "sexy older woman" air about them. Although Bardot was 31 when she made this film, she was still often referred to as a "sex kitten" and great play was made of the fact that, in French, her initials BB were pronounced like the word for "baby". I doubt if anyone ever called Jeanne Moreau a kitten.

The film is set in Central America in 1907. Bardot plays Maria, an Irish revolutionary on the run after blowing up a bridge in a British colony, presumably British Honduras. (Exactly why the interests of Irish nationalism required the destruction of a bridge in a remote part of that territory is never explained). She is befriended by a Parisian actress, also named Maria, who is performing with a travelling circus touring the area, and they cross the border into a neighbouring banana republic, where, after inadvertently inventing striptease, they become caught up in a popular uprising against the country's dictator.

Louis Malle, although not part of the "Nouvelle Vague" movement, is today best remembered as the auteur director of serious films like "Le Soufflé au Coeur" and "Au Revoir Les Enfants", so I was surprised to learn that he was also responsible for a frivolous comedy like this one. There is some satirical content to the film, mostly reflecting France's own revolutionary, anti-clerical traditions, but nothing too serious. The Catholic Church is shown as a reactionary force on the side of the dictator, who relies heavily on the Holy Inquisition, portrayed as having survived into the first decade of the twentieth century. (In reality the Inquisition was abolished everywhere in Latin America upon independence from Spain). This satire, however, is so over-the-top that it is unlikely to be taken seriously. (Malle was later to make "Au Revoir Les Enfants", which can be seen as a deeply pro-Catholic film).

Contrary to what some on this board have assumed, this is not a film about the Mexican Revolution; indeed, one reviewer devotes most of his review to a lengthy analysis of what he considers to have been the causes of that revolution, which is rather missing the point, for two reasons. Firstly the film, although shot in Mexico, is not actually set there but in the fictitious Republic of San Miguel. Secondly, despite a certain amount of satire this is not a serious film about politics but a light-hearted, slightly bawdy, comedy, the sort of film the "Carry On" team might have made had they turned their attention to Latin American politics. Although if the "Carry On" team had made it the two Marias would have been played by Barbara Windsor and Hattie Jacques, who might have lacked that certain "je ne sais quoi" of Jeanne and Brigitte. The film owes a lot, in fact, to the charm and sex appeal of its two heroines; it may be a light, frothy romp, but it is a very enjoyable one nevertheless. 6/10

Viva the End...

[Xstal · 4/10 · 23 May 2023]

After growing up to terrorise the Brits, you lose your father and you end up dressed in glitz, as you become a stage performer, a quite radical reformer, joining forces with Maria to get your kicks. As you're also called Maria that makes a pair, a risqué dance for two is what you like to share, until Maria meets a guy, who lifts her high into the sky, there's revolution after he succumbs and dies. And so it's off to war to fight a dead man's cause, to fight the corrupt, crooked, shady, venal laws, a brief tangle with the church, allows the film to pitch and lurch, to an ending that won't wake you from your snores.

It isn't funny and it isn't fun.

What that Revolution really needed were two good female revolutionaries

[theowinthrop · 8/10 · 22 December 2005]

This was an amusing film, which was the first movie that I saw starring either Bridget Bardot or Jeanne Moreau. I actually saw it on a double bill back in 1965. It is of interest because it brings up a matter that American films about Mexico's Revolution (or that of the other Latin American Countries) rarely touch upon. This is the position of the Roman Catholic Church in these matters.

The only time the issue of the Church and the Revolutionaries came up in American films was in the John Ford / Henry Fonda movie "The Fugitive". That (based on Graham Greene's novel "The Power And The Glory")dealt with the anti-Clericalism of the PRI regimes that ruled the country after 1920. In it Fonda is a fugitive priest who is trying to continue his religious role, despite the anti-clericalism of the regime. Greene (and Ford) were good Catholics, and stressed the negative actions of the revolutionary regime in Mexico (similar to the anti-religious viewpoint of the Communist regime in Russia). But the view barely notes why the anti-Clericalism developed.

One of the largest land owning groups in Mexico (and in most of Latin America's countries) was the Church. And, due to the holdings, the Church tended to be rather conservative politically. In the 19th Century the greatest figure of reform in Mexico was Benito Juarez, who was from a poor native Indian background. But most of his career was in trying to strengthen Mexican democratic government, and to drive the French invasion (that briefly set up Archduke Maximillian of Austria) as Emperor. But after the French were driven out, Juarez spent the remainder of his years in office (1867 - 1872) trying to get through some kind of fair land reform. This did not sit well with the Church. It supported the regime of his successor (Porfirio Diaz), who was opposed to land reform - he invited foreign investors (many Americans) into Mexico. Diaz's policies were good in giving Mexico a stable economy and political peace for three decades (the longest growth period until the later 20th Century).

The key character to watch in "Viva Maria" is Francisco Regueira, who plays the sinister Father Superior. It is he who is constantly in communication with the dictator, the landowner, and their minions. The role (as is the film) is played for laughs, but it is his behavior, conspiring against the two Marias and their friends, which is telling.

The plot is interesting in bringing in the universality of revolution. Bardot is shown growing up, the daughter of an Irish revolutionary, constantly destroying British forts and other sites with his daughter assisting. When she joins forces with Moreau the latter's sister has committed suicide, so that she needs Bardot to replace the sister. It is a circus group, but Bardot and Moreau do a singing and strip-tease act. They are brought into the Mexican Revolution by the brutality of the local landowner (who rules like he has a mini-kingdom).

The film was pure escapism: the circus group's resident marksman finds one of his special rifles is badly bent after an explosion - he doesn't throw it out, but attach-es a mirror to the barrel and uses the bent gun to shoot people around the corner. George Hamilton plays a local "Zapata" type hero, who is wounded and in hiding. When Bardot speaks in his honor, the members of the circus group listen to her words comments critically on her use of language, and on his theatricality - as though she is acting on stage.

It is not a major film, even for director Louis Malle (don't compare it with "Atlantic City", for example). But as an enjoyable romp it's worth watching.

Moreau, Bardot, De Trop

[writers_reign · 6/10 · 29 June 2009]

Whilst it's true that inside every fat man is a thin man trying to get out the same thing doesn't apply to every big-budget movie but in this case it does. It seems evident that once Louis Malle had secured the services of Moreau and Bardot they financiers kept throwing money at him and demanding a bigger movie than the traffic would bear. Apparently Malle had seen and admired Vera Cruz and thought it might be fun to substitute two gals for Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster and who knows, he may have been right. As it stands we'll never know and we are left with an uneven film with a fine performance from Paulette Dubost, a non-performance from George Hamilton and not much chemistry between the two leads. I don't know about you but I've had it up to here with 'revolution' movies set in South America so it already had one strike on it before I took my seat. I managed to sit through it and though I admire the Malle of Milou en Mai, Au Revoir, Les enfants, Zazie dans le metro etc I won't be looking for the DVD of this one.

For Bardot and Moreau only

[michelerealini · 5/10 · 3 October 2005]

The main merit of the movie is the presence of Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau, at the top of their charm and beauty. The strip-tease scene is the only funny scene instead.

Apart from that and from a good cinematography, the film is quite boring. Louis Malle is one of the leading French "Nouvelle vague" directors, but here he deals with a big budget adventure -he doesn't work in his natural context.

The idea of two girls named Maria who carry on the Mexican revolution could be good, but gags and action scenes are not memorable. In many situations you can guess what is going to happen.

Obviously it's a movie made for exploiting the commercial appeal of the two gorgeous actresses.

Malle, Bardot and Moreau made much better things.

Cool flick!

[LeRoyMarko · 8/10 · 16 February 2002]

Viva la revolucion! Fun movie, from the start to the end. Reminded me of other movies like Top Secret in some ways.

Some scenes are just hilarious: when the revolution starts, the pigeon's help, the torture chamber, the magician with the cigarettes, the curbed canon gun to shoot around the corner, and so, and so, and so...

Great laughs, but also great songs in this one. Great way to start the movie with the song about the little Irish girl and her love for dynamite. Interesting striptease scenes for the time.

So many movies about revolutionary action takes place in Mexico, seems like the perfect place to stage a revolution!

Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau are beautiful and they deliver an excellent performance.

Out of 100, I gave it 82. That's good for *** stars on a **** stars rating system.

Seen at home, in Welland, on February 12th, 2001.

Revolution a magic word to French people !!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 4 June 2019]

None people in the world look likes Revolution than French people, this was a vehicle to Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau and directed by Louis Malle, the picture was a kind of satirical comedy over the Latin America in a fictitious country, Bardot and Moreau has on early scenes a kind of itinerant show as French striptease, a bit behaved, until they see how the poor people suffering by the great rich farmers whose control all country, supporting an unpopular government ruled by a bloody Dictator, also supported by catholic Church using old methods at Spanish' inquisition, a black comedy, criticizing the Latin American's dictatorship that were scattered on every country at it's time and worst sustained by a tamed church, the picture seems at first look silly, wasn't at all, many hidden messages was introduce to the audience by Louis Malle was insightful on social criticism without notice by authorities !!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7

Carry on Maria!

[paul2001sw-1 · 3/10 · 11 December 2004]

Loius Malle made a lot of serious, European-set films, so 'Viva Maria!', a comedy musical western, certainly represents an oddity in his catalogue. With Brigitte Bardot on board, you might think he couldn't have gone very far wrong. Unfortuantly, the dubbing of the English language version (reviewed here) is so appalling (and the choice of dialogue so dire) that you might be better off switching off the sound and enjoying it as a silent film, as there's only actually one song but a lot of visual comedy. A few details are nice, and in places Malle has fun with his camera, but overall the effect is more Carry-on than 'Moulin Rouge!'. The film also shows its age in its very sixties portrayal of liberated women. Overall, a sadly mediocre movie, made interesting only by the glimpse of its star.

A "sleeper" by Louis Malle, and not your typical comedic western.

[Dugy · 31 March 1999]

What was Louis Malle thinking about when he put forth this gem of a movie? It's a tale of comedic revolution in a fictitious country south of the border, and it happens to be led by a couple of gorgeous carnival entertainers, namely Bardot and Moreau. This French/Italian production is certainly off beat when the girls, leading their little band of performers have to finish a revolution begun by George Hamilton (listen to his voice in French!). A little anti-church, anti-establishment, a little strange, this film will delight the curious. And of course, Bardot is as cute as can be. Don't miss this one, for the delight of it all.

Pretty to look at but also rather trite

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 17 February 2010]

This film begins with a little girl and her father blowing up everything British. It seems they are Irish revolutionaries and again and again, you see them attacking things in the UK and then later in their colonies. In what had to be British Honduras (Belize), the girl is now older and is played by Brigitte Bardot--a very, very odd choice to play an Irish lady! She is forced to blow up a bridge with her father on it, so soon she embarks on a solo career.

A bit later, Maria (Bardot) happens upon a French traveling show in Central America and another Maria (Jeanne Moreau) makes her part of her act. For now, the more lethal Maria stops killing people and spends her time singing and being wined and dined by various men. However, when the other Maria (Moreau) falls in love with a handsome revolutionary (George Hamilton), things change. Hamilton is soon killed by the cruel general and so Moreau vows to continue his revolution. It goes badly at first---until the mad bomber Maria joins the fight. Then the two ladies lead a successful revolution and become folk heroes.

The film is a bizarre combination of action, adventure, music and comedy. Frankly, I didn't think all that much of the comedy and didn't laugh at their exploits. It was mildly interesting but that's all. In fact, it all seemed a tad lightweight and silly.

This, to me, was a curious misfire from writer/director Louis Malle. The film is nothing like the more serious movies he was later known for and didn't particularly impress me. It is entertaining in a mindless sort of way and Bardot was a knockout to look at, but that's really about it.

girl power

[hugobolso-1 · 8/10 · 31 August 2002]

This is a nice sexy action comedy with some controversial topics about a french actress and a irish terrorist in LatinAmerica. That is nice because nearly 40 years later, there isn't a better action comedy movie where the lead character were women. That's much better than Charlie Angel and much funny than any comedy these days. Diaz , Barrymore and Liu looks weak innocent and timy with these great french Divas. This are really gorgeous strong women. It's hard to believe that Hollywood now at day bring a more clever, sexy and controversial satire than Viva MAria! It's have some very enjoyable jokes like the skeleton of the man and the horse in the desert or the head of the bishop, and the Inquisition torture. The story is not very credible, too women that made a revolution but t's funny seen the pure semi boy Bardot transform in the ninfomaniac girl we all love. Not only Lois Malle direction is excellent, the song and there two leading ladies are incredible the Gorgeaus (in this movie talent) Bridgtte Bardot and the intense (And also beauty)Jeanne Moreau.

A GREAT PICTURE WITH THE BEST (and brave) ACTION HEROINES OF ALL TIME

unbearably boring

[mmoni · 2/10 · 25 February 2009]

This is obviously a star vehicle, purpose-made to give the audience two then-hottest names in French cinema - Moreau and Bardot - for the price of one ticket. To make sure it's money well spent, the two actresses then perform in the first act a lot of Edwardian striptease; now it wouldn't raise an eyebrow but apparently very racy for its time, if IMDb's trivia section is to be believed. The second act is a cross over from "Carry On" to "Zorro". I couldn't bring myself to watch the last third of the movie so perhaps there are some hidden gems there. Only for die-hard fans of Bardot and/or Moreau, or those in need of fetish fuel, if early 20th c. underwear is your thing.

Campy Delight

[jayraskin1 · 10/10 · 26 September 2009]

This film is a glorious mess. Just when you think you have it figured out, it changes into a different style. You want a sexy musical romantic comedy, here it is, you want a slapstidk spoof, here it is, you want an action-filled spaghetti western, you got it. It is probably closest altogether in tone to "Cat Ballou". Altogether its an inventive sexy farce that captures the light and cheerfulness of the mid 1960's.

Louis Malle seems to be channeling Richard Lester (the movie was made around the time of "Help" and "A Hard Day's Night") throwing gags right and left. He has the good sense to keep the camera on both Jeanne Moreau and Bridget Bardot for long stretches. Unfortunately, there is little chemistry between them, but they are both so sexy the viewer isn't sure who to focus on. The viewers' eyes dart from Bardot on the left to Moreau on the right and back again.

If one sees it as a competition between Bardot and Moreau, I would have to say that Bardot wins hands down. She seems to genuinely to love her role, while Moreau seems a little nervous about having to compete with Bardot on the screen. Still both are at the top of their game as actresses and are a treat.

The movie is unabashedly pro-revolutionary with classic Marxist ideology, something quite refreshing. The peasants are oppressed and noble, and the land-owners, army and Catholic priests are powerful and savage.

The movie is pleasure on every level. If you enjoyed "Bandidas" with Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek, you'll enjoy this film.

Not one of Malle's best

[Pleasehelpmejesus · 2/10 · 8 December 2005]

Those expecting a clever well paced romp similar to "French Cancan" will be quite disappointed as will those who would expect a great dramatic director like Louis Malle to have a deft hand with comedy. Actuall it may not be Malle who is so much to blame. Every time the film finds a nice pace it is slowed down by the extremely dull musical numbers. Bardot and Moreau play early Twentieth Century strippers but since they never really strip there's no payoff from that angle either.

Malle slips in some clever bits of business that probably were intended to live up the dull script but they aren't enough. The dialogue is faux clever and works now and then but there isn't enough of it to occupy the mind the way the costuming and landscape occasionally catch the eye. True the colors are lovely and vibrant and the film has that big "movie" look of some of the great Technicolor romps of its period but like the strip shows it lampoons the film is all come on and no payoff. It doesn't help that leading man chores are handled by George Hamilton who is actually quite capable of rising to good material but is here symbolic of the weak and shallow nature of the film itself. Not recommended for fans of Bardot, Moreau or Malle. In fact I can't recommend it to anyone.

Zowie!

[ROMANVS · 17 May 1999]

I originally saw Viva Maria! at a Toronto cinema in the mid-1960s in the company of three college friends and, upon emerging, I think that each of us would have cheerfully enlisted in a revolutionary cause of the kind depicted in the film. The Moreau-Bardot magic was irresistible! As I recall, the North American release of this film ended with the cheers of the crowd of San Miguel as the circus troupe departed. On a recently acquired laserdisc pressing of the film, however, I note that there is an extra minute -- the European ending in which the troupe returns to the European stage.

Pay particular attention to the musical score -- composed by Georges Delerue (1925-1992), most of whose work was for the European cinema but he was, from time to time, commissioned to compose for American and British films. He had a particular talent for evoking the nostalgic longing inherent in mediæval and renaissance themes. In fact, in a radio interview, Delerue once indicated that, where most film composers would start to experiment with tunes on a battered piano, he would often wander into archives of ancient music to get his inspiration. In the opening credits to Viva Maria!, a French ballad of the young heroine is picked up by the orchestra in a delightful example of Delerue's skill. (By the way, the film's credits do not seem to name the singer, but whoever he is, the man's diction is so clear that even an anglophone "retard" ought to be able to follow the French lyrics. If anyone knows who he is, I would be pleased to learn his identity.)

Visually stunning, with a beautiful music soundtrack

[davidgarnes · 9/10 · 4 August 2012]

Just watched this film again after seeing it many years ago. It stands up well. Moreau and Bardot are fascinating to watch, together and apart, esp. in their musical numbers. Hard to take your eyes off them when they're on screen, which is most of the time.

The many songs are catchy and the soundtrack score is absolutely beautiful--one of the best film scores I've heard in a long time. It captures both the epic quality of some of the excellent action scenes as well as the charm of a long-ago time in the slower, recurring themes-- gorgeous.

The whole movie is unlike anything I've seen in ages. Well worth a viewing.

A very funny romp from Louis Malle

[JasparLamarCrabb · 8/10 · 12 March 2014]

The words romp & rollicking come to mind while viewing Louis Malle's action packed ode to female empowerment. Circa 1900, Maria (Brigitte Bardot), the daughter of an Irish explosives expert, finds herself stranded in Mexico (she and her father bomb their way across the Atlantic). Running into a traveling carnival Bardot ends up the musical comedy partner of showgirl Jeanne Moreau (also named Maria). Together they sweep to fame throughout the country only to get mixed up with revolutionaries and help to liberate a village from local land barons. There's much to enjoy with this film, from Henri Decaë's great cinematography to a rousing score by Georges Delerue. Malle keeps things light and there are many moments of humor and outright slapstick. Moreau & Bardot have great chemistry and the excellent supporting cast includes Claudio Brook, Paulette Dubost, and the oddly chosen George Hamilton (as a very Zapata-like legend).

Wonderful escapism

[TM-2 · 6 January 2003]

I remember staying up late one night and watching this movie when I was about 13. Here was two stunning women that demanded attention. The movie was all about entertainment. Saw it 20 years later and still enjoyed it. This is a pleasant change from the regular diet of 100 lb anorexic female leads we get to 'drool' over.

Hilarious Movie of the Stupidity of Most Wars

[alicecbr · 8/10 · 3 November 2006]

This would be funny if we weren't being Bombed Ourselves, 13 July 2005

(This comment was deleted by IMDb based on an abuse report filed by another user) Brigitte Bardot makes a very convincing bomber, political assassin as she learns about bomb-making and executing the blasts from her father all over Europe and Central America. It's a play on the Irish hatred of the British.

They just blow some troops up, and melt into the surroundings, much as our modern terrorists do.......and with a child like innocence about them. Malle makes fun of a lot of old-time westerns with the hero (Hamilton) dramatically dying for his love. Jeanne Moreau is quite a dancer, which I never realized before, as she and Brigitte 'invent' the striptease.

This was in glorious technicolor and the naivete and innocence of the time when this movie was made can't help but sadden you as you realize how low we have sunk in this oil-crazy world where the mad dictator (Bush, not Hitler this time) invades any oil-rich countries he wants to under the guise of 'bringing democracy' to the people (althouth we have to kill them to do it). If our time wasn't such a Keystone Cop melodrama in itself, I'd make more fun of this movie. But it's fairly realistic, if you judge by what goes for reality these days.

You can see why 'Murphy Brown' was so in love with Lewis Malle, the director.