UNE PARISIENNE
France, 1957, 86 minutes, Colour.
Charles Boyer, Brigitte Bardot, Henri Vidal, Nadia Gray.
Directed by Michel Boisrond.
Une Parisienne is a light French comedy, touch of farce, released in the same year as Laurence Olivier’s The Prince and the Showgirl. There are some similarities in the theme.
Charles Boyer does not appear until some time into the film, a royal visit to France, with his wife played by Nadia Gray. The similarities to the situation in England with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, in Holland with Queen Beatrix, and to other European countries where the queen reigned with her prince consort, are evident in the film. Boyer exudes his usual charm. Henri Vidal is the secretary to the prime minister, a womaniser, who is targeted by the prime minister’s young daughter who becomes his secretary.
Brigitte Bardot in one of her earliest feature roles plays a bit more sensibly, although kitten-like, than in her films with her husband, Roger Vadim.
The film takes place over only a few days, with Brigitte and her relationship with the secretary, his women friends, the pressure for them to marry, the honeymoon, the return to France, the suspicions of Brigitte that he is playing up to other women (and there are some scenes to indicate this) and her bet that she could charm the prince into being with her for a day. He does.
The film has the light touch, more than a permissive touch for the 1950s in comparison with American films, and is an opportunity to see Brigitte Bardot when she was very young.
1. French comedy? Farce? Romance? Anti-romance?
2. The bright colour, the French settings, the city of Paris, Nice, the Riviera? The aerial sequences? The lavish touch? The musical score?
3. The title, Brigitte and her being an allegedly typical Parisienne?
4. The character of Brigitte, her age, her style? Sense of fun? Mischief? Setting her cap at Michel? At work in his office? The phone calls from his various girlfriends? Her relationship with her father, her father getting her out of trouble? The scenes in public, her father having to deal with them? The infatuation with Michel, the pressure on Michel for the wedding? The ceremony? The scenes of her in the car, pursuing him? The honeymoon, the enjoyment, the suspicions? The return? The falling out, Brigitte’s capriciousness? The ceremony, her defying her husband? Her charming the prince, curtseying to him, his playing along with her? The false phone call, serving dinner to Michel’s friend, the friend taking her side? The flight, the swim, catching cold, the return in time? Michel and his interrogations? His not believing her? The happy ending?
5. Michel, secretary, ladies’ man, the range of women and their idiotic behaviour towards him? Infatuations? His playing along? His reaction to Brigitte, trying to extricate himself, his being trapped? The marriage, the honeymoon? The return, the phone calls? The lunch and his lady friend, his telling her that he was married? At the dance, the bet? His curiosity as to what Brigitte was doing? The day out, his going to visit the queen, the prince and his sneezing? His believing the prince? The reconciliation?
6. The prime minister, trying to manage, his career, his daughter and her performances? In public? His having to make excuses? The royal visit? The day out with the prince? His trying to cover? All being well at the end?
7. The picture of French politics, the role of the prime minister, his official duties, the secretary? The royal visitors, the personalities of the prince and the queen? Selling fighter jets? Having receptions, dances? The queen having to go to the kindergarten and the prince backing out?
8. Popular romantic fluff of the 1950s?
