Et Dieu... créa la femme

Every great actress has her breakthrough role--the one that really puts her over with the public--and for 22-year-old Brigitte Bardot, that role came in 1956's "...And God Created Woman." In this film she plays an 18-year-old named Juliette, who marries younger brother Michel (Jean-Louis Trintignant) to spite older brother Antoine, all the while being pursued by the wealthy, middle-aged Carradine (Curt Jurgens). It is easy to see why BB proved so popular in this film. She is indeed very beautiful, and writer/director/husband Roger Vadim shows her off to good effect. OK, to address the thought uppermost in the minds of my fellow all-American red-blooded pigdogs, we get to see BB in all manner of formfitting outfits (sorry, no nude scenes or swimwear), seducing Antoine whilst laying in the surf, teasing behind sheets and under blankets, and, most impressively, doing a frenzied mambo. I dwell on BB's physique because, really, it is what the film is all about. Personalitywise and characterwise, Juliette is a fairly tiresome, repugnant and conscienceless creature. But physically...ooh la la! No wonder Carradine says that she was born to destroy men! The film also boasts location filming in San Tropez, a town that here looks nice and quaint, if surprisingly run-down. The DVD itself is mighty fine, with an impressive wide-screen image, crisp color and adequate subtitling. Men, pair this movie one night with the 1935 Marlene Dietrich vehicle "The Devil Is A Woman" and you just might give up on females for good!

Fave movie-quote - "I didn't know that love was a disease."

.... And god created woman???.... Well, yes.... If you consider director Roger Vadim as being "god" and actress Brigitte Bardot as being the "woman" - Then god (Vadim) certainly did create this woman (who happened to be his real-life wife at the time).... Yeah. And he sure put her together very nicely. Indeed.... Mmm-Mmm.

Anyway - (Keeping in mind that this off-kilter Comedy/Romance/Drama was produced in 1956) - For all of its numerous flaws and faults - It certainly turned out to be more entertaining than I had expected it to be.

And, I will enthusiastically admit that - Without its main attraction (the sultry, sexy, sweet-as-honey, Brigitte Bardot, who was 22 at the time) - This adult-oriented, foreign film would have amounted to nothing. I mean, at certain moments in the story Bardot really did shine amongst all the rubble.

Filmed at the St. Tropez beach area of coastal France - "And God Created Woman" was produced on a budget of $300,000. Released internationally - It grossed over $4 million in its first year, alone.

Before this movie, I had never seen a naked woman that moved. Unless you count the images in magazines waving in the breeze! Ever since then I have had a love of slim blondes with long hair, , so I guess it must have had an effect on me. Besides that, "Art Films" were rare in Australia at the time, so it was quite a revelation to me. I don't remember much of the film, but the picture of the beautiful Bridgette will always remain in my mind. It was nice to see, in later years that she became such a strong advocate for animal welfare, and has retired semi-gracefully to her villa. Thank you Bridgette for all the entertainment.

one of films who seems have a single actor. because Roger Vadim use the eroticism of young Bardot for a touching story about youth, choices and love in real inspired manner. but that option has the importance for build a large mirror of a period. the borders of an age who seems more present in our society than in "50's and that could be the key of its success today. the grace to explore the desires of a young woman looking for a strange, obscure form of happiness. Trintignan in a of role who reminds the noble characters by Dostoievsky and the Romantic idealist . Curt Junger as the lover who use his power for define his age , cruel analyzer of the others. a film who seduces. and a film who gives precise definition for an obscure state of soul.

"Et Dieu... crea la femme" is Brigitte Bardot's breakout film. She explodes on the screen, overwhelming the audience (the male audience by sure). I bet that women, as well, are shocked by the thought that such a rival-bomb can exist.

The movie itself have always been underrated. It was a scandal at the epoch and we can easily see why. Actually, the erotic atmosphere created by BB in "Et Dieu... crea la femme" is amazing even for today standards (immensely superior to that of current movies, in my personal opinion). At any rate, the scandal made the movie be automatically considered bad (needless to say, people went crazy to see it). Curiously enough, a dozen of years later several ugly movies were automatically considered good by the critics because of the scandal they raised!

Now that our modern eyes no longer see the scandal, we may judge "Et Dieu... crea la femme" a nice film, made VERY special by Brigitte Bardot's presence. The stunning locations of a still tourism-free Cote d'Azur are beautifully photographed. The story is interesting and entertaining. Melodrama is systematically avoided. The script contains a good deal of typical French wit: sharp, cynical, but with a melancholic subtext. A couple of instances. The mature gentleman Eric Carradine, trying to justify Juliete's bad behavior "I am the only one to be guilty of that" and the old woman "Don't delude yourself, sir...". Again Carradine "I fell in love with a young girl and I gave money for her to marry another man. How do you call it?" and a friend "I call it wisdom".

Bardot brilliantly plays Juliete, a remarkably interesting character. Probably, more than her free and mindless attitude toward love affairs, Juliete's true personality may be described as anarchist selfishness. She doesn't give a damn for others. She just does everything she wants, not caring people's opinions, prejudices or feelings. She loves animals, though. A further point of interest is that, according to her own autobiography, BB's personality has some in common with that of Juliete's. I don't comment Brigitte's sex-appeal. Words are not enough, just look at her and enjoy. The life at the village on the sea and the various other characters are described with accuracy. Jurgens, Trintignant and the remainder of the cast work well.

The cult-scene of the movie is Juliete's Mambo dance. Here we understand what Europeans of the 1950s thought to be a torrid scene. We also see that they were right!

Seeing the movie, many are displeased that (seemingly) a dose of heavy slaps turns the wild Juliete into a devoted spouse. That looks machist ideology. Well, to begin with, to beat guilty women is just a realistic and predictable behavior in the low class environment of a village of fishermen in the 1950s. But, above all, do you think Juliete-Brigitte tamed by few hits? Come on! She accepts the slaps only because in that very moment she has thought it good to take them. But who knows the future? Believe me, Juliete is far from being tamed, and the end of the film by no means coincides with the end of the story...

In spite of possible criticism, I like "Et Dieu... crea la femme". Right or wrong, this film has a relevant place in the history of cinema.