Cette sacrée gamine (1956)
Directed by Michel Boisrond

Film Review

1956 was the year that saw Brigitte Bardot elevated from stardom to the status of international sex goddess, through her appearance in two hugely successful films - Cette sacrée gamine, a popular sex comedy very much in the American mould, and Et Dieu créa la femme, a daring celebration of the liberated modern woman directed by Bardot's then husband Roger Vadim.  Of these two films, only Vadim's film stands up to critical scrutiny (albeit grudgingly), although both were crucial in creating the Bardot brand and winning the actress her international renown.

Cette sacrée gamine was the first of four films that Bardot made with the director Michel Boisrond, the others being Une Parisienne (1957), Voulez-vous danser avec moi ? (1959) and Les Amours célèbres (1961).  All of these films are lightweight comedies which are recommended only for cultural masochists and/or diehard Bardot fans.  Scripted by Vadim (a man not renowned for his literary accomplishments), Cette sacrée gamine is a chore to sit through, not least because the film lacks both a decent storyline and any really good gags.  Its one redeeming feature is an impressively staged ballet dream sequence, in which Bardot appears at her most alluringly seductive.

The film is also noted for being the first occasion that Jean Poiret and Michel Serrault appeared together on screen.  Previously, they had formed a hugely successful cabaret act and would appear together in several films, notably Assassins et voleurs (1957) and La Gueule de l'autre (1979).  Bardot's co-star in this film Jean Bretonnière disappeared virtually without trace at the end of the 1950s, although he resurfaced in a supporting role in Bertrand Tavernier's Le Juge et l'assassin (1976).  Meanwhile, Bardot would continue appearing in tedious froth such as this - taking the occasional respite from life-sapping mediocrity with the help of a few serious filmmakers such as Louis Malle (Vie privée) and Jean-Luc Godard (Le Mépris) - until she got bored, gave up acting altogether and found a more rewarding occupation, namely championing the rights of furry little animals.   Having sat through this infantile tosh, I can't say I blame her.  This is the kind of film that makes you look kindly on squirrels.

Film Synopsis

The police suspect cabaret owner Paul Latour of being a banknote forger.  To evade arrest, Paul beats a hasty retreat from Paris, but before he goes he asks his cabaret's star performer Jean Clery to look after his daughter, Brigitte.  Jean mistakenly believes that Brigitte has been raised in a high class institution and knows nothing of her father's criminal exploits.  He is keen to bring Brigitte back to his apartment but his fiancée, Lilli, does not approve and soon becomes jealous of her potential rival.  Jean then discovers that Brigitte is not the well-mannered, well-educated young woman he had mistaken her for, but is in fact an inveterate trouble maker...