Love on a Pillow (1962)

A young girl rescues a man from a suicide attempt. He turns out to be a sociopath, who begins to take over her life, abusing her both verbally and emotionally, yet she can't seem to tear herself away from him.

Director:

Roger Vadim

Writers:

Roger Vadim, Christiane Rochefort (novel)

Stars:

Brigitte Bardot, Robert Hossein, Jean-Marc Bory

Cast

Credited cast:
Brigitte Bardot	...	Geneviève Le Theil
Robert Hossein	...	Renaud Sarti
Jean-Marc Bory	...	Pierre Leroy
Michel Serrault	...	Maître Varange
Jacqueline Porel	...	Madame Le Theil - la mère de Geneviève
Jean-Marc Tennberg	...	Coco
Robert Dalban	...	Le brigadier
Ursula Kubler	...	L'infirmière
Christian Melsen	...	L'inspecteur de police
Macha Méril	...	Raphaële (as Macha Meril)
James Robertson Justice	...	Katov - un sculpteur
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Georges Aminel	...	Rôlle indéterminé (voice)

Storyline

When the Parisian bourgeois Geneviève Le Theil travels to Dijon to resolve outstanding subjects in the inheritance left by her wealthy aunt, she mistakenly opens the door of another room in the hotel, finding a suicidal near death on the bed. Later Geneviève goes to the hospital and is introduced to Renaud Sarti, the nihilistic alcoholic vagrant she saved. Geneviève falls in love for Renaud and brings him to her apartment in Paris, initiating a destructive, masochistic and corrupt relationship with the abusive man.

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Plot Keywords:

italy | paris france | female nudity | tuscany italy | pain | 

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Taglines:

Bardolatory!

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Genres:

Romance | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

5 September 1962 (France)

Also Known As:

Love on a Pillow

Filming Locations:

Dijon, Côte-d'Or, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Francos Films,Incei Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Sound System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Renaud Sarti: You're sweet - but you can't do anything for me after all. You're useless - - your love, your good heart, your compassion - I'm tired of it all. I'm exhausted, I'm spent.

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Connections

Referenced in Ta kokkina fanaria (1963)

User Reviews

LOVE ON A PILLOW (Roger Vadim, 1962) **1/2

While their short-lived marriage was long gone, this is the fourth of five Roger Vadim/Brigitte Bardot collaborations and only the second I've watched myself. After opening in a light comedy vein, this rather scrappy film turns into an unappetizingly ponderous melodrama on the lines of LA DOLCE VITA (1960), complete with a risibly "beat" orgy sequence and a surfeit of pretentious chat; nevertheless, the whole is somewhat redeemed by the attractive Italian locations in its second half and the nice musical score throughout.

For what it's worth, it tells of a bourgeois girl (Bardot) – shortly to be married to an unassuming young man – travelling from Paris to Dijon to hear the will of her late aunt, who accidentally stumbles on the suicide attempt of a bohemian, pulp-thriller-loving misanthrope (Robert Hossein) who, upon recovering, literally turns her life upside down. The cast is completed by James Robertson Justice (as Hossein's sculptor friend), Macha Meril (as Robertson's tramp companion) and, in one sequence, Michel Serrault as a notary.

In the end, the original title of THE WARRIOR'S REST sounds far more interesting that what's on offer here and the fact that I was misinformed about the film's running time – I thought it was a good 22 minutes shorter! – did not help to earn it much affection from my end. But, then, the sight of Bardot in her prime (and, Vadim being Vadim, in various stages of undress as well) is always welcome...