Every great actress has her breakthrough role--the one that really puts her over with the public--and for 22-year-old Brigitte Bardot, that role came in 1956's "...And God Created Woman." In this film she plays an 18-year-old named Juliette, who marries younger brother Michel (Jean-Louis Trintignant) to spite older brother Antoine, all the while being pursued by the wealthy, middle-aged Carradine (Curt Jurgens). It is easy to see why BB proved so popular in this film. She is indeed very beautiful, and writer/director/husband Roger Vadim shows her off to good effect. OK, to address the thought uppermost in the minds of my fellow all-American red-blooded pigdogs, we get to see BB in all manner of formfitting outfits (sorry, no nude scenes or swimwear), seducing Antoine whilst laying in the surf, teasing behind sheets and under blankets, and, most impressively, doing a frenzied mambo. I dwell on BB's physique because, really, it is what the film is all about. Personalitywise and characterwise, Juliette is a fairly tiresome, repugnant and conscienceless creature. But physically...ooh la la! No wonder Carradine says that she was born to destroy men! The film also boasts location filming in San Tropez, a town that here looks nice and quaint, if surprisingly run-down. The DVD itself is mighty fine, with an impressive wide-screen image, crisp color and adequate subtitling. Men, pair this movie one night with the 1935 Marlene Dietrich vehicle "The Devil Is A Woman" and you just might give up on females for good!
