Please Not Now! (Bardot)
Picture: B-
Sound: C Extras: D Film: C
Brigitte Bardot had a long string of low-budget European
hits, some of which have been issued in a new boxed set from Anchor Bay. Please Not Now! (1961) is one of them
and is helmed by her then-husband Roger Vadim.
The screenplay by Claude Brasseur and Vadim is very light weight, but
actually had the potential to be something much more, so an opportunity for
something more was missed.
Bardot is a high fashion model who is so ticked-off that
her boyfriend has dumped her for a rich American gal that she storms off her
job in pursuit. Of course, as the
amusing credit sequence shows us with her Citroen 2CV automobile, she tends to
rush around and storm after everything.
As a matter of fact, any time she gets into a vehicle, it tends to find
itself moving along far faster than it should.
This is always funny and not taken far enough.
There is also the nude fantasy dance that was not allowed
in its time many places it was booked, cut from many prints, but here in its
entirety. It turns out to be one of the
things that hold up best in the film, still sexy and definitely
interesting. It is the fantasy of one
of the two men who go “ga ga” over her, unwittingly involving themselves in her
traveling romp.
The comedy is dubbed “screwball” on the back of the box,
but really does not qualify as screwball, nor does it always qualify as
comedy. Maybe this was somehow funnier
in its time, but the film is average and just happens. Without Bardot, there would be little point
at all in watching. The camera loves
her, even with her clothes on. She
really was one of the all-time screen beauties and remained that way for years
afterwards.
Another nice thing about the DVD is the picture, which was
shot in CinemaScope. The anamorphically
enhanced image is from a fine print and in real black and white! Cinematographer Robert Lefebvre helps save
the film with great shots of Bardot, the streets, the clubs and some beautiful
location shots that make this rewatchable.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is of the original French soundtrack and is
just fine for its age. James Campbell’s
original music is a hoot at its best, even more so than the script. The only two extras are a bio of Bardot and
a block-style original theatrical trailer.
In a great irony, it is Godard’s Contempt (1963)
and Vadim’s original 1956 And God Created Woman are the two films
generally recalled when her name is brought up. One, an art film, the other, her one international blockbuster. The release of a whole set of her other
films could change that, and are not a bad thing to check out. Can’t wait to see more!
- Nicholas Sheffo
