Tonight on TV: proof that Brigitte Bardot was also a great actress – Actus Ciné

Dominique appears at the assizes for the murder of her lover, Gilbert, fiancé of her sister Annie. She must fight against the lawyer, who tries to tarnish, against her will, Gilbert’s memory, and against the prosecutor, who tries to make her look like a heartless monster in the eyes of the jury… .

This pitch is that of the drama La Vérité, directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. Released in theaters in 1960, this feature film with an incredibly precise script has not aged a bit. Modern, superbly staged, rich in discoveries both visual and sonic, it offers Brigitte Bardot one of her very best roles.

Adapted from the Pauline Dubuisson affair, a real news item that occurred seven years previously, The truthGolden Globe for Best Foreign Film and nominated for an Oscar in the same category, is a milestone in the career of Brigitte Bardot. The actress, shortly after In Case of Misfortune by Claude Autant-Lara, confirms her talent in the dramatic register with a complex role. And achieved great popular success, the feature film totaling nearly 5.7 million admissions in French cinemas.

“It’s my best film”

Brigitte Bardot attempted suicide shortly after filming The truthjust like his character at the end of the film. “Clouzot convinced me so much that I was this woman of loose morals, this tragedian, that I ended up believing it. I became Dominique. To the point that months later, I wanted to commit suicide”declares the actress at the microphone of Vogue Hommes magazine.

“Clouzot was very harsh. He went very far. Even making me take sleeping pills without my knowledge so that I looked like I was in a semi-coma”continues Bardot. “I felt deeply about this character. For the long courtroom scene at the end, we only did one take. When he said ‘cut!’, all the extras stood up and applauded me. I was washed out. But it was worth it. Clouzot brought out an extraordinary film from me.

Tonight on Arte at 8:55 p.m.