VIVA MARIA! (1965)

Director Louis Malle thrived on pushing himself beyond his comfort zone with films that were either unclassifiable and/or out of his fach.  But this burlesque of Central American People’s Revolutions at the turn of the last century, comes up short of the buoyant political parody he and co-writer Jean-Claude Carrière must have been aiming at.  Brigitte Bardot, orphaned daughter of an Irish bomb throwing terrorist, literally falls into the world of Jeanne Moreau’s troupe of traveling entertainers.  Together, they accidentally come up with a striptease act, the singing/dancing Two Marias before their little wagon train rolls into the middle of the Revolution.  Captured along with People’s Patriot leader George Hamilton (!), they’re soon rescued, but not before Moreau finds a way to make love to the handsome shackled rebel and promise to carry on ‘the cause’ should he die.  Malle stages big comic battle scenes with exaggerated violence and acrobatic strategy from the Music Hall lineup; and everyone seems to be having a jolly time of it.  If only the fun were contagious.  (Though Moreau stacking up surprisingly well, so to speak, next to Bardot.)  One really good joke among the misses: a combatant kneels down before the two Marias to lace up his boots and hundreds of soldiers standing behind him, taking it as sign of respect, also kneel.  If only Malle could stage a compound slapstick gag or two.  Alas, the film is more in the ‘60s terroir of Philippe de Broca or Blake Edwards.*

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK:  Similar ideas play out in George Cukor’s HELLER IN PINK TIGHTS/’60 as another ‘60s sex Goddess, Sophia Loren, takes her stage show to the Wild West.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2022/06/one-of-kind-backstage-western-from.html

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  *Particularly the Ruritanian section of Edwards’ THE GREAT RACE/’65.