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 Frankest! At Her Frenchest! At Her Funniest! In Her First BIG Picture!

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Genres:

Comedy

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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

Paris B. B.
Written by André Hodeir, Henri Crolla and Hubert Rostaing
Sung by Christiane Legrand

User Reviews

Light & Lovely Bardot!

Brigitte Bardot sparkles in this lighthearted romp with Charles Boyer and looks great as always. Although I prefer her dramas and melodramas her romantic comedies are a filling dessert. She seems comfortable, relaxed, and appears to be having a fine old time. Boyer is always charming and an undervalued actor for many years.

A 6 out of 10. Best performance = BB. The music is annoying, especially the opening, but the color is great. All Bardot fans should seek this out (just for fun). I think Bardot is under-rated because few of her films are GREAT ART, but she holds her own with anybody and was always a treat for the eyes as well.

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