La Parisienne (1957)

Set against the picturesque springtime in Paris, the prime minister's daughter marries a buttoned down cabinet official, but when her new husband starts stepping out behind her back, the young bride takes of for the Riviera.

Director:

Michel Boisrond

Writers:

Annette Wademant (original scenario), Jean Aurel (original scenario)

Stars:

Charles Boyer, Henri Vidal, Brigitte Bardot

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Boyer	...	Le prince Charles
Henri Vidal	...	Michel Legrand
Brigitte Bardot	...	Brigitte Laurier
Noël Roquevert	...	Le docteur d'Herblay
Madeleine Lebeau	...	Monique Wilson
Fernand Sardou	...	Fernand le Barman
Claire Maurier	...	Caroline Herblay
Robert Pizani	...	Ambassadeur Mouchkine
Guy Tréjan	...	Le colonel d'aviation
Judith Magre	...	Irma
Harry-Max	...	L'ambassadeur (as Harry Max)
Marcel Charvey	...	Un mauvais garçon
Vera Talchi	...	Titine
Marcel Pérès	...	Le général (as Marcel Pérés)
Henri Cogan	...	Un bagarreur

Storyline

The President of France's daughter falls for her fathers attaché and asks to be his mistress. Instead he marries her and flies off on their honeymoon. On the honeymoon she meets the prince who makes friends with her. This leads to a scandalous trip to Nice. Did something go wrong? They both come back with a cold. Is it from swimming or an assignation? The husband is jealous. What's the truth?

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Taglines:

Bardot at Her Biggest, Boldest, Best!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 December 1957 (France)

Also Known As:

La Parisienne

Filming Locations:

Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris 8, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$450,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Ariane, Filmsonor, Cinétel

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The airplane used is the Morane-Saulnier MS.755 Fleuret, a prototype French two-seat jet trainer designed and built by Morane-Saulnier. It failed to gain any orders but was developed into the larger four-seat MS.760 Paris. The one and only prototype was registered F-ZWRS, in the movie it is shown as F-WZRS.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Michel Legrand: I'll speak to the Prime Minister. Call me in two weeks.

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Alternate Versions

Being a French-Italy co-production, the film has two original titles: "La Parigina" in Italy, and "Une Parisienne" in France, spoken in Italian and French, respectively. The film premiered end 1957, and was dubbed in English for the international markets as "La Parisienne" early 1958. The official VHS and DVD releases (PAL system), from René Château are also titled "La Parisienne" but have the original French dialogue and English subtitles. The pre-title sequence was omitted from the video release, but it exists from an earlier TV broadcast.

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Connections

Referenced in L'amico del giaguaro (1959)

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Soundtracks

La Parisienne
Composed by Henri Crolla
Sung by Christiane Legrand

User Reviews

Brigitte Bardot Shows Why She Was the Hottest Thing to Hit the Screen

Most of the Brigitte Bardot movies I've seen have failed to take full advantage of her captivating screen presence. Unfortunately, she was given few really good roles in movies of undeniable quality, which was a real oversight. She deserved them and was able to demonstrate her full cinematic power when they came her way. As Genevieve in "Love on a Pillow" we had a clear exception to the trend of light, fluffy vehicles, for it was an interesting, artistic film by any reasonable measure, and in it, a 28-year-old BB was at her most alluring. "Une Parisienne" is another, featuring an extremely captivating Brigitte in an interesting, well-crafted comedy that explores how an ambitious lady's man can be convinced to remain faithful to an incredibly beautiful young wife. There are several good performances here. Her playboy husband, Michel, is one, "the prince," played by Charles Boyer, is another, with entertaining efforts by a good supporting cast. As for Brigitte Bardot, the way she looks in this movie is the way I remember her as a kid in the fifties. She was 23 in 1957 and way ahead of her time, more beautiful than any other actress of the period, including Marilyn Monroe. Her curvy, coquettish sexuality, amply displayed in several bosom-baring, skintight dresses, simply jumps off the screen. She was more hip and cute than the women of America are today, nearly fifty years later. Obsessed with their careers and still desperately clinging to feminist politics, they come off like a bunch of clueless lesbians. In stark contrast, the sex kitten was sexually liberated, intelligent, and clearly independent long before it was fashionable, yet while fully understanding the power of her exceptional femininity, she used it for a higher purpose than mere self-interest -- she believed in love. A still photo simply could not do her justice. You had to watch her slender yet voluptuous form (with its 20-inch waist) lightly cross a room. You had to see that wild blonde mane, gaze into her big, brown, seductive eyes, and listen as her full, pouting lips spoke French. In a closeup at the end of this movie she winks and flirts with the camera, her beautiful orbs twinkling. What a babe! For fans of Brigitte Bardot, "Une Parisienne" is not to be missed.