Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1959
Babette Goes to War
Buy Babette Goes to War now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Babette Goes to War' is a 1959 French CinemaScope film starring Brigitte Bardot. It was Bardot's first movie since becoming a star where she did not take off her clothes.
Plot
In 1940, during the German invasion of France, a young woman called Babette flees on a boat to England. She is desperate to help the Free French, who end up parachuting her back into the country on a mission to thwart the German invasion of England.
Cast
* Brigitte Bardot as Babette
* Jacques Charrier as Lt. Grard de Crcy-Lozre
* Francis Blanche as Commander Obersturmfhrer aka "Papa Schulz"
* Hannes Messemer as General Franz von Arenberg
* Ronald Howard as Colonel Fitzpatrick
* Yves Vincent as Cpt. Darcy
* Pierre Bertin as Duke Edmond de Crcy-Lozre
* Viviane Gosset as Duchess Hlne de Crcy-Lozre
* Mona Goya as Madame Fernande
* Nol Roquevertas Cpt. Gustave Brmont
* Michael Cramer as Heinrich
* Jean Carmetas Antoine
* Ren Havard as Louis
* Gnter Meisner as the first Gestapo officer
* Jacques Hilling as the French captain
* Charles Bouillaud as Pierrot
* Alain Bouvette as Emile
* Max Elloy as Firmin
* Robert Berri as Sgt. Hill
* Jenny Orlans as a girl
* Philippe Clair as Un rsistant
Production
Bardot had meant to make a film in Hollywood called 'Paris by Night' with Frank Sinatra and Roger Vadim but did not want to go to America. Producer Raoul Levy came up with another idea, a film about a young girl who becomes involved with the Resistance called 'Babette Goes to War'. Levy assigned Vadim to work on the script with an American writer. Vadim's film 'The Night Heaven Fell' was released and performed poorly, so Levy replaced Vadim as director with Christian Jacques.
In September 1958 it was announced Peter Viertel was working on the script.Some Screen Writers Are Busy Despite a Slump in Production
By OSCAR GODBOUT New York Times 12 Sep 1958: 21. By October Christian Jacque was attached as director.NOTED ALONG THE SEINE: Fall Production Schedules Show Drop -- Young French Directors Active
By CYNTHIA GRENIERPARIS. New York Times ]19 Oct 1958: X7. David Niven was mentioned as a possible co star.Looking at Hollywood: Niven, Mitzi to Co-Star in 'Anniversary Waltz'
Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune20 Oct 1958: b14.
The film was the first in a three-picture deal Levy had with Columbia, two of which were to star Bardot. The studio would invest $2.5 million. (Columbia helped finance the hugely successful Bardot-Levy movie 'And God Created Woman'.) Gerard Philippe was the original co star announced. This deal later expanded to cover three years.
Levy said he came up with the idea of Bardot keeping on her clothes because it was unexpected. "Everything there is to show has been shown," said the producer.BARDOT CLOTHED IN NEW FILM
Buchwald, Art. Los Angeles Times 3 Feb 1959: B5.
Filming took place in February and March 1959. Bardot and Jacques Charrier had an affair during filming that led to Bardot falling pregnant and them getting married. Bardot was briefly ill during filming.Brigitte Bardot Kept in Bed by Influenze
Chicago Daily Tribune 4 Feb 1959: 4
Reception
The film had its world premiere at the Moscow Film Festival. It was a big hit with admissions in France of 4,657,610. It was the fourth most popular film at the French box office in 1959, after 'The Cow and I', 'Sleeping Beauty' and 'The Green Mare'. (It was followed by 'Some Like It Hot', 'The Four Hundred Blows', 'The Magnificent Tramp', 'North by Northwest', 'Solomon and Sheba' and 'Black Orpheus'.
References
Buy Babette Goes to War now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1959