Une parisienne

Bridgette Bardot, looking as sexy as ever, plays a spoiled but innocent daughter of a French Ambassador. She cons one of her father's top aides (womanizer MICHEL) into marrying her and it turns out to be the best thing for both of them. Michel is soon flirting with his old girlfriends and in order to teach him a lesson, Bridgette flirts heavily with a married PRINCE CHARLES. Michel is surprised by his jealousy. A cat-and-mouse game ensues between Brigdette and Michel ("I'll have an affair"..."No you won't"...) And finally Michel realizes she just might and vows to give up all the other ladies in his life. Bridgette and Michel settle comfortably into their happily-ever-after while Prince Charles jets home to England.

It's an admittedly light piece but it's incredibly charming. While some may fault it as a product of it's time, I found that completely enjoyable. Worthy of a rental.

Two years before their joint appearance in COME DANCE WITH ME (1959), Brigitte BARDOT and Henri VIDAL (1919-1959) had already appeared on screen as lovers and married couples.

In UNE PARISIENNE, BARDOT plays the daughter of the French Prime Minister (Andre LUGUET), who falls madly in love with her father's chief diplomat. Although he's a confirmed bachelor, he doesn't let anyone get away with it, Brigitte wouldn't be Brigitte if she couldn't win him over. A lingering jealousy remains, however, as there are simply too many admirers from the past queuing up for the handsome Michel. It's a good thing that the state visit of Queen Greta (Nadia GRAY) is just around the corner. Her frivolous Prince Consort Charles (Charles Boyer) is extremely smitten with the charming Brigitte and flies with her to Nice for a swim...

A slightly frivolous comedy starring Brigitte Bardot, who became an important export for the French economy in those days. In the US and Canada alone, the film grossed $3 million at the box office. It certainly didn't hurt that Bardot was allowed to admire her bare bottom from afar. In the 1950s, only French films featuring the fearless Brigitte had something like that to offer, and she also got to cruise through Paris in a bright red sports car. Add to that Charles Boyer, also hardened in Hollywood by four Oscar nominations (in 1945, for example, he was nominated for his role in Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman), in a charming guest role as the Prince Consort! What more could you want?

Most of the Brigitte Bardot movies I've seen have failed to take full advantage of her captivating screen presence. Unfortunately, she was given few really good roles in movies of undeniable quality, which was a real oversight. She deserved them and was able to demonstrate her full cinematic power when they came her way. As Genevieve in "Love on a Pillow" we had a clear exception to the trend of light, fluffy vehicles, for it was an interesting, artistic film by any reasonable measure, and in it, a 28-year-old BB was at her most alluring. "Une Parisienne" is another, featuring an extremely captivating Brigitte in an interesting, well-crafted comedy that explores how an ambitious lady's man can be convinced to remain faithful to an incredibly beautiful young wife. There are several good performances here. Her playboy husband, Michel, is one, "the prince," played by Charles Boyer, is another, with entertaining efforts by a good supporting cast. As for Brigitte Bardot, the way she looks in this movie is the way I remember her as a kid in the fifties. She was 23 in 1957 and way ahead of her time, more beautiful than any other actress of the period, including Marilyn Monroe. Her curvy, coquettish sexuality, amply displayed in several bosom-baring, skintight dresses, simply jumps off the screen. She was more hip and cute than the women of America are today, nearly fifty years later. Obsessed with their careers and still desperately clinging to feminist politics, they come off like a bunch of clueless lesbians. In stark contrast, the sex kitten was sexually liberated, intelligent, and clearly independent long before it was fashionable, yet while fully understanding the power of her exceptional femininity, she used it for a higher purpose than mere self-interest -- she believed in love. A still photo simply could not do her justice. You had to watch her slender yet voluptuous form (with its 20-inch waist) lightly cross a room. You had to see that wild blonde mane, gaze into her big, brown, seductive eyes, and listen as her full, pouting lips spoke French. In a closeup at the end of this movie she winks and flirts with the camera, her beautiful orbs twinkling. What a babe! For fans of Brigitte Bardot, "Une Parisienne" is not to be missed.

Male fantasy is turned up to 11 in this one. It's a sex farce that I confess to enjoying, despite the silliness and objectification, because dear god it's 1957, Brigitte Bardot is 23, and the film has such a fun French playfulness to it.

As you might guess, the film revolves around Bardot, and she is in so many scenes designed to titillate that it's comical. Let's see, there's the buxom, lusty secretary wearing a tight sweater, the girl sneaking up to a hotel to start an affair with no strings attached, the bride taking off her gown and walking around in lingerie, and the disinterested woman who can be aroused to passion with kisses on the back of the neck. She's also in a low cut red evening dress, trying to seduce another man into an affair by getting down on her hands and knees, later takes a bath, lifting her legs skyward out of the tub, runs around in a towel, and presents breakfast in bed in a shirt and apron. The object of her affections is played by Henri Vidal, and the man she pursues to make him jealous is 58-year-old Charles Boyer. He jets her off to Nice for a swim, so we see her emerging from the sea in a bikini, then dancing seductively with him in a small café.

Bardot is gorgeous and immortalized in this movie, even if it is over-the-top. I might have liked it even more for going all the way in its over-the-top-ness, if that makes any sense. There are countless shots which are just fantastic, including one in front of a set of mirrors, reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe in 'How to Marry a Millionaire". I did like the open acknowledgment of affairs, which is so very French, but how the film points out they have to be conducted in the right way, with sensitivity and decorum, and the jealousy that even then may arise. It's not high art, and it's definitely not politically correct, but ooh la la, this one is a guilty pleasure.

Brigitte Bardot sparkles in this lighthearted romp with Charles Boyer and looks great as always. Although I prefer her dramas and melodramas her romantic comedies are a filling dessert. She seems comfortable, relaxed, and appears to be having a fine old time. Boyer is always charming and an undervalued actor for many years.

A 6 out of 10. Best performance = BB. The music is annoying, especially the opening, but the color is great. All Bardot fans should seek this out (just for fun). I think Bardot is under-rated because few of her films are GREAT ART, but she holds her own with anybody and was always a treat for the eyes as well.