And God Created Woman is the 1956 French movie that really launched Brigitte Bardot into stardom. I saw it was available on HBO Max so I decided to give it a spin.
Bardot plays Juliette Hardy an orphan that resides in a small, shipping town in France. She’s carefree, sexy and dances sexily to the beat of her own drum. She sunbathes nude, walks around barefoot, and drives the men around town crazy with desire.
Eric Carradine, an old rich guy is taken with her. So is a guy named Antoine who just wants to get her Juliette in the sack and then toss her in the proverbial garbage. Juliette won’t give Antoine the time of day because she’s in love with him and doesn’t want just a fling. Juliette then marries Antonie’s brother, Michel (you see where this going and I’m not going to just tell the whole story…).
Overall the movie is fine. I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it. The story isn’t all that great, it’s pretty thin in that respect. There is also a terrible fistfight that’s as bad as any of the ones featured in Star Trek: The Original Series, which did the movie no favors.
However, Bardot is sensational; a real star that mesmerizes and captivates your attention with her confidence, raw sexual energy, and commanding presence. She’s a firework that you watch in anticipation of an explosion and Bardot delivers on this promise with her seductive playfulness for the entire runtime.
If you’re interested in seeing Bardot do her thing I’d recommend it as she’s fantastic to watch in this. If that doesn’t appeal to you, skip it because she’s pretty much the whole movie.
