Viva Maria! (1965)

Somewhere in Central America in 1907: Maria II is the daughter of an Irish terrorist. After her father's death, she meets Maria I, a singer in a circus. She decides to stay with the circus,... See full summary »

Director:

Louis Malle

Writers:

Louis Malle (scenario and dialogue), Jean-Claude Carrière (scenario and dialogue) (as Jean-Claude Carriere)

Stars:

Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne Moreau, George Hamilton

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brigitte Bardot	...	Maria Fitzgerald O'Malley aka Maria I
Jeanne Moreau	...	Maria Fitzgerald O'Malley aka Maria II
George Hamilton	...	Flores
Paulette Dubost	...	Mme Diogène
Gregor von Rezzori	...	Diogène (as Gregor Von Rezzori)
Poldo Bendandi	...	Werther
Claudio Brook	...	The Great Rodolfo
Carlos López Moctezuma	...	Rodríguez (as Carlos Lopez Moctezuma)
Jonathan Eden	...	Juanito Diogène
Francisco Reiguera	...	Father Superior
Adriana Roel	...	Janine
José Baviera	...	Don Alvaro
José Ángel Espinosa 'Ferrusquilla'	...	The Dictator of San Miguel (as José Ángel Espinoza)
Fernando Wagner	...	Father of Maria I
Roberto Pedret	...	Pablo

Storyline

Somewhere in Central America in 1907: Maria II is the daughter of an Irish terrorist. After her father's death, she meets Maria I, a singer in a circus. She decides to stay with the circus, and on her debut as a singer, she unintentionally invents the strip-tease and makes the circus famous. Then they accidentally meet a socialist revolutionary and find themselves leading a revolution against the dictator, the capitalists and the Church.

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Plot Keywords:

central america | revolution | vaudeville troupe | year 1907 | 1900s | 

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Taglines:

Viva Don't Miss It!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The gun that shoots around a corner that "The Great Rodolfo" develops as part of this story is found in a similar weapon called the periscope rifle in 1915 which allowed for the actuation of the trigger from beneath the line of sight of the firearm. Simmilarly, the Krummlauf was a bent barrel attachment was created in WWII for shooting around corners from a safe position. And CornerShot, designed in the early 2000s, allows its operator to both see and attack an armed target, without exposing the operator to counterattack.

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Goofs

The Pound sign on the wanted poster has been placed after the figure. This is the French practice. In England it would be in front.

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Quotes

Maria Fitzgerald O'Malley aka Maria II: Rodolfo, come over here and meet my new partner. Oh, that's right, I don't even know your name.
Maria I: Marie Fitzgerald O'Malley.
Maria Fitzgerald O'Malley aka Maria II: Marie?
The Great Rodolfo: Mary?
Maria I: I'm not Mary. Marie.
The Great Rodolfo: Mary and Mary. That's splendid!

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Connections

Referenced in Hoa Binh (1970)

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Soundtracks

La Marseillaise
(uncredited)
Music by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
Maria quotes the first lines when addressing the rebels

User Reviews

A "sleeper" by Louis Malle, and not your typical comedic western.

What was Louis Malle thinking about when he put forth this gem of a movie? It's a tale of comedic revolution in a fictitious country south of the border, and it happens to be led by a couple of gorgeous carnival entertainers, namely Bardot and Moreau. This French/Italian production is certainly off beat when the girls, leading their little band of performers have to finish a revolution begun by George Hamilton (listen to his voice in French!). A little anti-church, anti-establishment, a little strange, this film will delight the curious. And of course, Bardot is as cute as can be. Don't miss this one, for the delight of it all.

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French English Spanish German

Release Date:

18 December 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Viva Maria!

Filming Locations:

Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$2,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF), Les Productions Artistes Associés, Vides Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1