You would think that Bigitte Bardot and Cannes were meant for each other. Well, not quite. The French icon, who retired from cinema in 1973, has made scathing comments about the Cannes festival and French cinema over the years. For some observers, her success was a case of “too much, too soon”.
For someone who helped define the appeal of the south of France, Brigitte Bardot was harsh with the town that helped her achieve planetary success. Although she had become a darling of French cinema since the age of 18, it was her appearance in “Et dieu créa la femme/And God Created Woman” in 1959 that turned her into a worldwide star.
Although the film was not presented at Cannes, Bardot was a regular visitor for promotional stunts. There are hundreds of photos of her there – one of the most famous being of her in a bikini with Kirk Douglas, with whom she maintained a long-term friendship.
Cannes as a “nightmare”
At her most outspoken, Bardot described Cannes as “a nightmare”, while the festival was full of “ugly movies and unimportant people”. She has also decried the lack of “magnificent” actors. Yet with typical bluntness, she also reportedly told The Guardian, “I started out as a lousy actress and have remained one”.
The Cannes Festival director Thierry Frémeaux rushed to the defence of the festival from its famous neighbour. It was a case of “Je t’aime, moi non plus”, the song she sang with Serge Gainsbourg. “Brigitte Bardot was important to cinema at a certain point in time. Beyond that, I don’t think she has any expertise to speak of, except as a spectator.”
(Michael Leahy. Source: Le point et al. )
