"Private Life": A portrait of Brigitte Bardot, an unusual biographical film

"Private Life" Synopsis

Gilles, who grew up in a mansion on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, takes the plunge and moves to Paris. She eventually becomes a world-famous actress, but is unable to bear the gossip and criticism she faces and returns to her hometown. She reunites with Fabio, the editor-in-chief of a theater magazine and director, whom she once had a crush on, and the two get married. Gilles enjoys a brief period of peace, but is once again plagued by the paparazzi...

Index

• An unusual biopic
• Brigitte Bardot, misunderstood
• Member of the Nouvelle Vague
• The end of stardom

An unusual biopic

The protagonist of the biopic is played by herself. "Private Lives" (1962) is an unusual biopic. A portrait of Brigitte Bardot by Brigitte Bardot. A warning against the system that supports stardom, and a fight against the image created by gossip magazines. Director Louis Malle depicts the "Bardot phenomenon" itself. The image created by the mass media becomes uncontrollable. The protagonist Gilles (Brigitte Bardot) is overwhelmed by the image of "fictional Gilles" and loses her space to live. She has no "private life" as she is pursued by paparazzi.

This film can be considered a fictionalized version of the documentary " Paparazzi " (1963), which follows the filming of " Contempt " (1963) by director Jean-Luc Godard and Brigitte Bardot. Brigitte Bardot was once called "the most photographed woman in the world." Hiding in the shadows, the paparazzi hold their cameras like snipers. A "gun" called a telephoto lens is aimed at Brigitte Bardot.

“Private Life” ©1962 GAUMONT - STUDIO 37 – CCM

Brigitte Bardot was actively involved in the script for "Private Lives." It recreated an episode that actually happened to her. It can be said that the film depicts Brigitte Bardot's own heartbreaking cry of "Help me!", but at the same time, it can also be said to be an extremely self-harming creation. It is a very dangerous act that literally cuts away at "private life." There were already films in which Brigitte Bardot's films were almost as if they were modeled after her, such as the pin-up star role she played in "The Bride is Beautiful" (56). If she continued to do this repeatedly, her mind and body would not be able to handle it. This is the reason why Brigitte Bardot retired from the film industry at the age of 39.

Brigitte Bardot, misunderstood