He and BB would marry five months after filming on 20 December 1953. Vadim is actually seen in the opening scene of Manina asleep during a science lecture. Though ill-adapted to modern life and the changing morality, they showed they were capable of progressing in their ideas. Vadim Plémiannikov (aka Roger Vadim), then Bardot’s husband-to-be, would later write in Bardot Deneuve Fonda:Īlthough Pilou and Toti were sticklers for decorum, they were not offended when they saw photos of Brigitte in a swimsuit the size of a postage stamp. It may not rank with the emasculation of Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), but it is a tragedy all the same. It is alleged in almost every biography of BB (they are all almost identical) that Bardot’s father Pilou took legal action to remove the nudity and some over-revealing bikini scenes. The film is of no interest other than for fans of a young Bardot (but obviously not the director, who is far more interested in filming half-naked men). After 40-odd tedious minutes of bad men and boats, Manina finally enters the narrative and falls in love with an uninspiring Gérard (Jean-François Calvé). In her second feature, BB plays Manina, the daughter of a lighthouse keeper. DVD titles: Manina … la fille sans voile (France), The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter (Australia). Manina … la fille sans voile ( Manina … The Girl Without a Veil, Willy Rozier, 1952)Īka The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter (UK), The Girl in the Bikini (US)ĭVDs: Sport Films (France), Force Entertainment (Australia). Available on VHS from René de Château in France, but unsubtitled. Still no DVD of this, Bardot’s first film. Le Trou Normand ( The Normandy Hole, Jean Boyer, 1952) These asides can be skipped with an easy conscience. “PB” indicates that the author is in a pedantic mood about accurately recorded screen titles and so for. Not every DVD has been tracked down, but hopefully at least one copy of every film released legally on DVD has. The listed screen ratio is what is quoted but, as everyone knows, is usually only an approximation. (2) In some cases, the title on a DVD cover is given in the credits block to help fans locate a copy, should they so desire.
Other foreign titles are taken from posters in Stanislas Choko’s invaluable Brigitte Bardot à l’Affiche. English titles are those used in the US or UK. The title in parenthesis is a literal English translation (if required) and may not have been used by any foreign distributor. Note: The title of a film is that on the DVD digitisation of the film print or negative. That does not mean they should feel obliged to follow the format used below. Equally (and this is the Senses co-Editor now speaking), authors are invited to compile annotated DVD lists on their favourite actors, directors and DOPs, etc. It is highly likely that more (and better) DVDs will appear in the near future, in which case this article will be updated. In this light-hearted look at the DVD releases of Brigitte Bardot’s films, only legally available ones (highlighted in blue) are reviewed.
Her beauty and talent are undeniable, but she posses some other, unknown quality which attracts idolaters in an age deprived of gods. It is likely that fate set her down at the precise point where dream and morality merge. The press is responsible for inventing people who already exist and endowing them with an imaginary life, superimposed on their own.īrigitte Bardot is a perfect example of this odd concoction. One characteristic of our age is that it creates instant myths in every field. History is composed of truths that become lies, mythology of lies that become truths. I’ve always preferred mythology to history.