Product Details

• Actors: Brigitte Bardot, Nicolas Bataille, Claude Day, Jacqueline Doyen, Gloria France
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: December 6, 1993
• Run Time: 103 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302995787
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,983 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Louis Malle's fourth film as a feature director was this 1962 work starring Brigitte Bardot in a thinly veiled reflection of her own life. Bardot stars as a famous movie actress who withdraws from the world's scrutiny at the peak of her success. Marcello Mastroianni plays a theater director who steps in to protect her; he's also the former lover of her mother. Somewhat unconvincing and anchorless as a drama, the film finds Malle--at that time--searching for an artistic trajectory following his splashy first works (Frantic, The Lovers) and a lightweight if enjoyable third film (Zazie). On the plus side, it does feature Bardot at her peak and a fine performance from her costar, and the backdrops--especially in the third act--are certainly inviting. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Such a deception..., May 1, 2006

By 

Abel (Nimes, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Very Private Affair [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is a shame because :
-First, it was made by one of the 3 greatest french directors.
-The script, by Louis Malle, is simply awesome, when you read it you simply get inside it, feeling really what Malle wants you to, you really know what is inside Jill, this kind of "floatting" that's always used to describe her feelings... in the movie, you don't get no sympathy for the characters because you don't fell them near you, they're so so far away...
-The actors don't show the entire dimension of their talent. BB was reluctant about this script because she felt it as a biography, and she and Mastroianni were really not good friends and you feel it in their way to play there's absolutely no fusion between them... Their way to play is really "cold".
-It was filmed with a proceed that makes it look like a sunday afternoon television film.
-It's a shame that the movie is unfindable in its original french version, because the english dubbed one is really so so, BB's voice, which is naturally strong and franc and at the same time sweet, is dubbed here by a really flat voice with no feelings inside it.
So I'll let 3 stars : 2 for the script which is really intense and deep, and 1 for Mastroianni, even if his interpretation is far from the great ones he gave us before and after...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars La Dolce Vita, March 25, 2006

By 

Alex Udvary (chicago, il United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Very Private Affair [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Louis Malle's "A Very Private Affair" tells the story of a famous star who seeks to get away from the limelight and lead a normal life with the man she loves, who does not have the celebrity status she does.

Maybe modern moviegoers will say this sounds like the Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant comedy "Notting Hill". Perhaps. But "A Very Private Affair" on paper reminds me of Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" (AKA The Sweet Life). After all, isn't that what Jill (Brigette Bardot) ultimately seeks? Both films deal with characters who at one time wanted fame and fortune and once they get it, now want to escape it. And isn't it odd Marcello Mastroianni is in both films?

If you are a Brigette Bardot fan and know something about her life it almost makes this film a semi-biography and adds a certain poignancy to it. Like the character Jill, Bardot started off as a model and then became a movie star who was known for her sex appeal. Bardot became one of, if not the biggest movie star in France at the time. I wonder if Bardot felt odd filming this movie. She must have been aware of what was going on.

The movie marks Louis Malle's fourth directing effort coming after such titles as "Elevator to the Gallows" (one of his best) and "Zazie dans le metro" (one of my least favorites). And it was written by Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Jean Ferry and Malle himself. Rappeneau would later become a talented director and writer himself. He has written "That Man From Rio" and worked with Malle on "Zazie". He directed "The Horseman on the Roof" and the more recent "Bon voyage".

But much of this film doesn't feel like a Malle film. In fact it reminds me more of a Michelangelo Antonioni film. It could have been one of Antonioni's alienation films. On paper this movie should have been a masterwork. I mean c'mon, we have Louis Malle directing Brigette Bardot and Marcello Mastroianni, two of the biggest international stars of the time, in a movie dealing with celebrity status. How could they go wrong! But they do.

First of all the viewer doesn't get much of a feel for these characters. There is little to relate to. I never really felt sorry for Bardot. I never had that feeling that she is trapped. And I never really understood Mastroianni. At times I wasn't sure if he was jealous of her status. His character, Fabio, is a up and coming director working on a stage play. But during production he keeps Jill away from the rehearsals. He says it is for her own good, so the press won't bother her. Or could it be because he wants the limelight? It is an interesting question, but one the movie never fully addresses. All three people here, Malle, Bardot and Mastroianni, are capable of creating works of strong emotional ties. But in the end "A Very Private Affair" becomes a missed opportunity.

And what about that title? There is a hint of sarcasm to it, but, I won't reveal it here in this review. I'll let you discover why on your own, if I haven't already revealed why.

Bottom-line: Sadly a missed opportunity. The movie never really tells us much about this characters and never really creates moments when we care about them. God knows these people are talented enough to make great movies but somewhere along the way the movie just doesn't add up.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare Cinematography, Hard to Look Away, June 26, 2005

By 

Irina V. Passmoore (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Very Private Affair [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an absorbing film. Bardot's attractive persona combines admirably with the classy scenery of Italy, Switzerland and Paris. Her emotional distress is the central theme, and it stems from a prolific love life that is more gourmande than gourmet.