Roger Vadim's Et Dieu . . . créa la femme (1956) / And God Created Woman (1957) features Brigitte Bardot (in her twenties, playing a teenager), Curd (aka Curt) Jürgens, Jean-Louis Trintignant (the Examining Magistrate in Costa-Gavras' 1968 masterwork, Z) and Christian Marquand. Basically, the three major male characters are driven wild by Juliette Hardy, who tries to figure out her best arc given the circumstances.
Juliette is an orphan in Vadim's film, which evokes the main character (also an orphan) in Luis Buñuel's Susana: Carne y demonio (1950/51) / The Devil and the Flesh (1953). Looking at the Buñuel film previously, I asked: "What better way to shine a light on the status quo than seeing it come under attack and subversion?" Noting also: "Susana (Rosita Quintana) brings the challenge and it's soon evident that 'all that seems solid melts into air.' Her mere presence drives Jesús, Alberto and Don Guadalupe crazy with desire. Much drama -- and hilarity -- ensues. The status quo is upended."
The names are different, but the dynamic is nearly identical -- with one twist. In Et Dieu . . . créa la femme, the Jürgens character (Éric Carradine) wants to buy out the other two men's seaside lot in order to build a casino, and they are resistant. Therefore, in this story there's a double challenge to the status quo: one from Juliette and the other from Éric. Only this much is certain: nothing will ever be quite the same, regardless of the outcome.
Today's Rune: Gateway.
3 comments:
Ah Bardot.
Where did she got?
It is always hilarious (when not involved) when a women is caught in a triangle of testosterone and puppy dog eyes.
"Where did she got?"
Don't know if she is still alive, but when she was old she spent most of her time and energy looking after abandoned pets.
Quite a remarkable woman.
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