Retired for 51 years, the French star is the subject of a comprehensive portrait, questioning his status as an icon well beyond cinema.
This Saturday, September 28, 2024 marks the 90th anniversary of Brigitte Bardotkey actress in And God Created Woman (1956), by Riger Vadim, in La Vérité (1960), by Henri-Georges Clouzot, or in Contempt (1963), by Jean-Luc Godard. BB is also a music star, propelled to the top thanks to the hits of Serge Gainsbourg, “Harley Davidson” has “Bonnie and Clyde”.
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This week Pathé unveils the trailer for a documentary dedicated to the star, an undeniable icon of the 1950s to 1970s, who embodied the sexual revolution of an entire era like no other, but who, seen from 2024, is regularly criticized for his political opinions.
Devoting a documentary to BB today requires a global reflection, on her career as an actress and singer, of course, her status as an undeniable feminist icon – also manifested by her choice to retire young and completely leave behind her her image as a sex bomb, but without putting aside the flaws that have more recently tainted her image. It is impossible to tell the story of his journey without situating him in a constantly evolving era and customs.
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“I don’t care if people remember me. What I would like is for people to remember the respect we owe to animals.”
The trailer is accompanied by a presentation of the studio. A note of intent which promises to explore all the facets of Brigitte Bardot, not to confine itself to an overly academic portrait of a woman who has become a myth – a fault into which the series devoted to the star had unfortunately fallen, last year. This film also wants to give voice to Brigitte Bardot, starting from her shock decision to abandon cinema, at only 49 years old, to devote herself fully to the defense of animals.
“She is one of the first icons of French cinema to obtain the status of a globally recognized personality. Never really in a box, muse of filmmakers ending up sacrificing everything to the animal cause, Brigitte Bardot is a free but undoubtedly misunderstood woman. Too much or unloved, at least not in the way she wanted. A woman who goes from the spotlight to the shadows of her Madrague refuge, where she tries to escape forever from prying eyes, scandals and disappointments. that this public life gave him. BARDOT looks back on the very contradictory aspects of his life; from his legendary artistic career to his famous foundation. She who shook up the image of women and was ahead of ecological awareness and animal welfare which seem, finally, obvious to everyone.
This documentary film is built around a mixture of archive images, interviews and filmed reconstructions. Brigitte Bardot will be the first narrator and takes as her starting point her radical and strong decision to leave everything to devote herself to the animal cause.
While she retired from the cinematographic world in 1973, Brigitte Bardot made nearly 45 films and more than 70 songs. From an iconic actress, she became a convinced activist who has never deviated from the committed path she has traced.
A cross-reflection on what it means to be a woman artist, a free woman and sometimes ahead of her time.”
Bardot will be released in cinemas in 2025.
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