... And God Created Woman

Director Roger Vadim's AND GOD CREATED WOMAN is, in my opinion, one of these movies you cannot neglect if you truly love cinema. Not because Roger Vadim is an unknown genius but because of the actress who plays the main character : Brigitte Bardot. You simply have to possess one of her movies in your library and since only three or four movies starring BB have passed with success the test of time, AND GOD CREATED WOMAN could be your first choice.

But remember that Roger Vadim was not Billy Wilder and that the french Marilyn Monroe had to count solely on her sex-appeal to attract the audience. And it still works. Brigitte Bardot shot a lot of terrible movies, she was not, in my opinion, a good actress but she ignited the screen. She was a real Star. And I'm not ashamed to have this DVD in my library.

The copy presented by Criterion is simply perfect, a trailer and a restoration demonstration as bonus features, the choice between the standard and the widescreen version, and english subtitles.

A BB DVD.


FUN WITH BRIGITTE IN THE SUN! DATED, BUT STILL GREAT.   July 26, 2000
Claude Bouchard Jr. (Baltimore, MD)
44 out of 45 found this review helpful

Although the movie's sensuality wouldn't raise an eyebrow nowadays, it's easy to see how audiences from the 50's would have been affected by Brigitte Bardot's sensuous form and how this movie revolutionized the foreign film market. A real delight to watch, wild-child Brigitte teases with her bouncy walk and her tight sweaters. And, yes, she can even act! In the role of Juliette, an incredibly beautiful orphaned young woman living in a seaside village, Brigitte keeps the delicate balance between the constant flirt (who's misunderstood as being the loosest girl in town) and the woman who yearns to have a "normal" married life despite her attraction to her brother-in-law. Contrary to popular belief and despite Juliette's regrettable infidelity, there's really no sex in this movie, unless you consider a one-time tush shot to be overly sexual. The DVD booklet mentions how some audiences originally misperceived this film's sexuality to be so bold that rampant gossip soon generated complaints about scenes that weren't even in the movie! The cinematography is breathtaking, with the Riviera beckoning you to move there...or at least visit for an extended period of time. The only aspect of the movie that is dated and very much out-of-sync with modern times is the attitude that men are superior to women and that, with proper discipline and control, women can be kept in line and "forced" to love their husbands.

The Criterion edition is, as always, fantastic. With director Vadim's approval prior to his passing away, the movie was restored to its original uncut version in a beautiful widescreen format. The digital tranfer is impressive and one of the extras on the disc illustrates the clean-up process and provides before-and-after comparisons. The colors are now bold and vibrant, and the print is crisp and clear. Excellent restoration and clean-up! The original US theatrical trailer is included and is hilarious as it makes the movie seem so cheap, sleazy and lurid.

Now here comes the downer: this movie deserves better English subtitles and infinitely better English dubbing. If you're trying to learn French, you don't want to do it with these subtitles. I found them to be quite inaccurate during a few scenes and, with no rapid-fire dialog in this film to justify it, not as expansive as they should have been. These inaccuracies don't detract from the story as a whole, but given that this is a Criterion release, I feel more attention should have been paid to this aspect of the film. As far as the dubbing is concerned, don't even bother. After a minute or so of listening to the dubbed version, it's apparent why the dubbed feature isn't listed on the DVD case. The actors' readings are flat and lifeless. Criterion has proved repeatedly they can do much better than that, so what happened here?

I still give the movie itself 5 stars for it is an interesting time capsule into 50's psychology, and it's a good story as well. And how can you not give 5 stars to Brigitte Bardot! I did subtract one star for the quite imperfect subtitles. Still, for around $20, you can get a fun romp with Brigitte in the Riviera of the 1950's. Sounds good to me. Worth owning.


And God Created Women But What Do They Want   January 18, 2000
Robert F. Cartland (Los Angeles, CA USA)
14 out of 17 found this review helpful

It is preciously rare to see raw human truths portrayed in a work of art -this film succeeds. Brigitte Bardot plays the young orphan Juliette trying to come to terms with the power and curse of being a beautiful woman. She wants to have fun, she wants to be loved, but few are able to see past her beautiful body and irreverent behavior. One man tries to buy her love and another uses raw male sexual appeal. Both men fail to completely win her affection primarily because of their own inability to admit how completely they love and desire her. A third, most unlikely man, wins her affection by treating her with kindness and love, rescuing her when the world turn against her and defending her honor even against his own mother. When she betrays him, he responds physically, expressing outrage, and than offers forgiveness. It is at the moment of his physical expression of outrage that he wins her love completely. This film expresses the profundity of feminine attractiveness and provides a glimpse at the answer to the Freudian question, "what do women want?". Expressing the answer in words risks oversimplification; however, one might say that women want the freedom to express their femininity and sexuality within the confines of a loving, supportive and respectful relationship.


a groundbreaking film   May 28, 2004
Ted Merriman (Pennsylvania, USA)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This release was supervised by director Roger Vadim who died while the DVD was being produced.

This film highly controversal at the time of the release in the US (it was considered racy) but is tame by today's standards.
It got a PG rating for it's 1978 rerelease in the US

The film was also remade in 1988 by the same director and title and the remake got an R rating.

The original French title is "Et Dieu crea la femme"

The film is about a young woman whose hedonistic tendencies cause problems in the town she is living in. Her husband attempts to calm her but that also causes problems.

The Criterion DVD has a theatrical trailer in English and there is also a restoration demonstration.


Brigette Bardot's best and most notorious film.   January 14, 1999
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

Only those who were teenages or adults back in 1957 can remember the impact that this often banned movie had at this time! It had an unabashedly bare Brigette Bardot playing Juliette, a youthful temptress who drew the attentions of a rich widower and her husband's older brother, cuckolding her naive and unsuspecting husband. The scenery of St. Tropez is delightful; but seeing so much of Bardot is even more so. This is one not to miss!