La Bride sur le cou (1961)
Directed by Roger Vadim

Film Review

Of the five films that Brigitte Bardot and her (ex-)husband Roger Vadim made together between 1955 and 1972 La Bride sur le cou (a.k.a. Please, Not Now!) is by far the most anodyne, a nonsensical romantic comedy that has far more in common with the actress's earlier films than mould-breaking fare such as Et Dieu... créa la femme (1956).  As if the sexual revolution of the mid-to-late 1950s had been a flash in the pan, Bardot finds herself once again relegated to playing a near approximation to an empty-headed bimbo, this time 'machoed up' with a loaded shotgun and plenty of ammunition (presumably this was intended as a euphemism of some kind).  To be fair to Vadim (something we should all strive to do at least once in a hundred years, if we possibly can), the film was not something he conceived.  That dubious 'honour' goes to Jean Aurel, who, having written the script, was assigned to direct the film, and when it became apparent that he was not up to the job Vadim stepped into the breach, and made a silly film even sillier.

La Bride sur le cou is a bad film for Vadim (the script gave him no room to play the pretentious narcissistic auteur or agent provocateur) but quite a good vehicle for Bardot, who looks ravishing throughout and gets to show off her talents both as a comedy actress and an erotic dancer.  The film is to Bardot almost what Some Like it Hot (1959) was to Marilyn Monroe, with a dishy duo - Michel Subor and Claude Brasseur, both at the start of their careers - making a fair substitute for Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as the lead actress flaunts her sex appeal to explosive effect (literally, in at least two scenes).  Claude Berri appears in a supporting role, not long before he made his directing debut with his Oscar winning short Le Poulet (1965). Vadim can justifiably be charged with exploiting Bardot in the other films they made together, but here he treats her more like a serious actress than a sex symbol, and it is no accident that what he gets in return is one of Bardot's better comedy performances.  Not a great film, but a fairly enjoyable one.

Film Synopsis

Famous cover girl Sophie dreams of another life than the one she currently has with high class reporter Philippe.  Her liking for Philippe soon turns to hate when she discovers that he has fallen for a rich American girl, Barbara.  Sophie is so jealous that she wants to kill them both in a crime of passion.  Determined to carry through her vengeful scheme, she follows the instructions of Alain, a friend, who tells her to make Philippe jealous of her.  When Philippe and Barbara leave for the winter sports, Sophie follows them but soon realises that Philippe has long forgotten about her and, in any case, she likes Alain much better...