Brigitte Bardot Collection DVD Review

It is interesting looking at famed sex symbol Brigitte Bardot’s film career, especially in the context of these five films. Although many of the five films in the collection are just average films and it at first seems as though the collection is far more focused on showing a sex symbol than an actress, doing anything else would have been near impossible. Unlike Bardot’s equaling unimpressive American counterpart Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte never made many great films. The film she is most known for, And God Created Woman, is not included in the collection, but the films that are included properly display her sex appeal over two decades of French filmmaking. Even the cover of the collection shows what the set has to offer, with a simple photo of a nude Bardot sitting conveniently covered in a director chair. Bardot was an immensely easy actress to watch, even in films which are slightly below average. She had a way of making even a dull scene easier to watch, especially considering many of her films found one way or another to get her at least partially unclothed. From the fifties to the sixties, comedy to melodrama, The Brigitte Bardot Collection is oozing with sex appeal where story is lacking. The films are split onto three discs along with a special feature about the famed actress, including commentary by Hugh Hefner. Disc one contains Naughty Girl (1956) and Come Dance With Me (1959) while disc two has Love on a Pillow (1962) and Two Weeks in September (1967). Disc three has the last film, The Vixen (1969) shared with the featurette. The discs are set in a cushioned plastic case with far better artwork than convenience.

Naughty Girl (1956) This sex comedy is one that took advantage of how young Bardot looked and had her playing an innocent schoolgirl living a wealthy life under the guise that her father makes his money in a respectable manner when he actually runs a successful nightclub. When an emergency comes up her father sends a famous musician to take her out of school, which leads to an inevitable romance. Keeping her at his apartment also leads to plenty of hijinks as she is a complete klutz unable to spend the day without burning down a section of his house. There are some pleasant moments in the film, mostly because of how endearing the young Bardot always proves to be.

Come Dance With Me (1959) This film actually plays down Bradot’s sex appeal more than usual, and the plot actually does better because of it. Bardot plays a happily married woman whose husband accidentally gets involved in a blackmail scheme. When the blackmailer turns up dead with her husband framed, Bardot takes a job at the dance school where she was killed in order to find a way to solve the murder and prove her own husband’s innocence. This film certainly took advantage of Bardot’s dancing abilities, mixing in this talent with comedy and mystery.

Love on a Pillow (1962) This melodrama directed by Vadim is more irritating than enjoyable as Bardot plays an innocent young girl who throws everything away in order to be with a man whose life she saved. The man moves in with her but is an alcoholic and not at all loving. She desperately tries to keep him and over time the relationship disintegrates. Don’t watch this one if romance issues are on your mind.

Two Weeks in September (1967) Another adultery melodrama has Bardot as a happily married woman going on a modeling shoot and meeting a younger man who very enthusiastically pursues her. In fact, nearly everyone in the film pursues Bardot and by the end of it there seems to be some message of melancholy but I found it difficult seeing beyond the silly superficial plot. Yet another ridiculous situation that merely sets up Bardot modeling and sleeping with a stranger in England.

The Vixen (1969) The final film in the collection is still far before Bardot had lost her looks ad it is also one of the more scandalous films. Yet another sex comedy has Bardot playing a secretary to a womanizing man, which leads her down the inevitable paths of seduction and inevitably ends with her clothes being removed. Perhaps the weakest film in the bunch but also filled with more typical Bardot humor and seductive qualities.