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Brigitte Bardot may be only third billed in the credits but without a doubt she's the star of this graceless sex farce. Clad in cleavage-baring blouses, dresses that look painted on, flimsy negligées, and sexy undergarments, she spends the first half of the film wooing womanizing cabinet minister Henri Vidal, accurately described by one jilted lover as "a jerk, a despicable son of a bitch," and the second half taunting him with an affair. Arriving at a diplomatic function, her blonde hair coifed and her ample charms squeezed into a bright red dress, she recalls Marilyn Monroe in
The Prince and the Showgirl, and finds her own prince in suave Charles Boyer, an all too willing elderly philanderer with charm and grace to spare. Vidal is a handsome but drab hunk with all the charisma of Sam Donaldson and the self-restraint of a rooster, which makes his fury at his wife's flirtations all the more odious. Bardot, with her bow-tie lips pursed in teasing pouts and eyes fluttering from behind ever-present black eyeliner, lifts her scenes with a spirited performance and sex kitten sweetness, but it's not enough to save this clumsy, flat, male-chauvinist sex comedy. For Bardot fans only.
--Sean Axmaker
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada: LANGUAGES: French ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Biographies, Black & White, Filmographies, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Variously titled La Parisienne and Une Parisienne, Parisienne, this Franco-Italian co-production is one of Brigitte Bardot's best vehicles. The daughter of the Premier of France (no, not DeGaulle!), La Bardot is married to Henri Vidal, the premier's chief aide. When Vidal shows signs of straying from his marital vows, Bardot decides to fight fire with fire. She enchants visiting nobleman Charles Boyer, who invites her to a romantic rendezvous on the Riviera. The outraged Vidal tracks down the would-be lovers, only to discover that nothing has happened-both Bardot and Boyer fell victim to head colds, and spent the weekend sneezing rather than smooching. ...Une parisienne ( La Parisienne ) ( Una Parigina )
