Thank you to Emma @ Word and Peace for hosting this annual event.
I have been watching a French tv-series about Brigitte Bardot. Season 1 in six episodes. It stopped when she was around 28 years old, so there might be a second season.
An icon, not only in France, it was interesting to see the story of her life. I cannot say how much of it is true, although it says it is based on real events, or how much is due to dramatisation. In the end of episodes 4-6 there is information saying that her second husband, Jacques Charrier and their son Nicholas, won a court case on Brigitte's account of events. "With the publication of the memoirs of Brigitte Bardot, he found himself in the media spotlight. He sued for "violation of privacy", and was successful." (Wikipedia)
I liked the tv-show very much. My views are based on how the dramatisation was shown. Julia de Nunez plays a very much look-a-like Bardot, and the acting is in general very good. She meets Roger Vadim at a very young age, 14 years, and become his mistress. They marry some years later and he is directing her in the film that took the world by storm. At least the men. And Woman ... Was Created.
She became the 'property' of everyone. She must have been the first celebrity that was hunted by paparazzis. It was difficult for her to go anywhere without being recognised. All she wanted was to be left in piece, but it seems it was not feasible. She tended to fall in love with her leading actor, and her love affairs did not last for long. Her life was a feuilleton in the papers. One cannot but feel sympathy for her in this sense.
In general she appears to have been rather selfish and spoilt. She could do what she wanted and she did it. When she got pregnant it was a disaster, and she was frightened during the whole pregnancy. She never took to her son, and when Brigitte and Jacques divorced he got the custody. Her life was her work and parties. Surrounded by her agents which were there when she started her career, they seem to have had quite an influence on her life. Underneath the surface there is a stroke of unhappiness, leading to several suicide attempts. A troublesome private life, although seen as a godess in the public eyes.
It is not so difficult to imagine that it was a difficult life she led. Being in the spotlight must have been a disaster for her, appreciating her private life. However, if there had been no attention, it might not have been good either. Roger Vadim was a calming and good influence in her life, even after their divorce. Looking at her life, I think, she is a person of solitude.
It was an interesting tv-series, well worth watching. I did not know so much about her, except her status as a godess, or, at the time, a 'sex kitten'. It is sad, because I think there is so much more to BB, as she was called.
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