Viva Maria! **** (1965, Jeanne Moreau, Brigitte Bardot, George Hamilton) – Classic Movie Review 5833

The surprisingly but delightfully paired French icon megastars Jeanne Moreau and Brigitte Bardot star as the two Marias, a song ‘n’ dance duo who get involved in serious political affairs, and a joint love affair with a socialist revolutionary called Flores (George Hamilton) in a Central American republic in 1907. The two Marias then lead a revolution against the country’s dictator, the capitalists and the Catholic Church there.

Director Louis Malle’s 1965 film is unpretentious, carefree and great fun, with everybody concerned, some of them normally very serious people, apparently relishing the opportunity to let their hair down, conveyed their sense of joy.

Bardot (as Maria I, a singer in a circus) and Moreau (as Maria II, the daughter of an Irish terrorist) are seen at their best in this rather splendid, very good-looking movie, beautifully shot in widescreen and Eastmancolor by Henri Decaë.

Also in the cast are Paulette Dubost, Claudio Brooks, Gregor Von Rezzoni and Carlos Lopez.

Moreau was the winner of the 1967 BAFTA Film Award as Best Foreign Actress for Viva Maria!

Moreau’s film career stared in 1949, but Louis Malle made her a star and French New Wave icon in Elevator to the Gallows (1958) and The Lovers (1958),

RIP Jeanne Moreau. The French President Emmanuel Macron called her ‘a legend of cinema and theatre… an actress engaged in the whirlwind of life with an absolute freedom.’

She also won the 1960 Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for Moderato cantabile (1960) and the 1992 Best Actress award for La vieille qui marchait dans la mer (1991) at the César Awards. It is striking that she won very few awards for her films, and none for her most renowned appearances, with only one Bafta and no Oscars or Golden Globes. Happily, the films speak for themselves.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5833

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