Tonight on TV: This movie is 70 years old, but it hasn’t lost its charm!

Juliet, a young woman of great beauty, attracts only passion around her. Three men (Jean-Louis Trinignan, Christian Marquand and Curd Jürgens) compete for her undecided heart. This simple two-sentence stanza is a true classic of the Seventh Art: And God… created woman. The iconic feature film released in theaters in 1956 that made Brigitte Bardot a worldwide star.

With And God… Created the Woman, which has not lost its power of fascination nearly seven decades after its theatrical release, directed Roger Vadim, who married Bardot during filming, sought through the actress, “Restore the climate of the era.” He states: “Juliet is a girl of her time, freed from all guilt, taboos imposed by society, and whose sexuality is completely free. In pre-war literature and films, she was compared to a prostitute. In this film, she is a very young woman, generous, sometimes indecent and, finally, without any escape.”

And God… created woman, which depicts a woman free to choose her love and let her desires guide her life, is divided upon her release. While some see progress and make Bardot a sex symbol as well as a change in morality, others find the film scandalous and particularly criticize it for this very provocative character. A seductress, Juliet is indeed very independent and demonstrates this throughout the film, breaking many taboos. Another shocking element: the presence of nude scenes, some of which are censored.

The tumultuous French reception of And God… Created Woman, one of the 10 films that caused a scandal upon release, piqued the interest of the United States, which was the first to truly succumb to the “Bardotmania” that would quickly become global. Thanks to this sulphurous work, which received up to 4 million screenings in French cinemas, the actor achieved the status of a myth in a very short time. The BB phenomenon was born.

Tonight at Arte at 20:55.