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PLUCKING THE DAISY
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars:
Brigitte Bardot, Daniel Grelin, Darryl Cowl, Jacques Dumensil, Robert
Hirsch
Director: Marc Allegret
Audio: Dolby Mono
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Studio: Home Vision Entertainment
Features: Theatrical Trailers
Length: 99 Minutes
Release Date: September 25, 2001
Brigitte
Bardot stormed her native France, Europe, and the rest of the world in the 1950s
with her unabashed sex appeal…so much so, that even though she retired from
public life at the tender age of 39, polls today still consider her A) one of
the top movie stars of all time, and B) one of the sexiest women who ever lived.
The
older crowds were indignant and outraged, but for young women, Bardot
represented a newer, freer attitude for the post World War II female, an
attitude that would come to full fruition in the 60s. For the young men, she represented an ultimate bedroom
fantasy.
She
wasn’t afraid to bear all for the cameras, and while mainstream movies in
America at the time would never dream of showing what Bardot’s films showed,
she still managed to earn a reputation in art house showings, where young men
may have received their first exposure to international cinema just by showing
up and waiting for Bardot’s money shot.
Plucking
the Daisy, a
film co-penned by her temporary husband Roger Vadim, may have thought it was a
simple screwball romantic comedy. It
really was a glorious strip tease sequence bookended by much ado over nothing.
Bardot’s charm and beauty make it work to a certain extent, but not
enough for a flat-out recommendation.
She
plays Agnes Dumont, the young daughter of a rather pompous and silly general,
who causes a stir when he learns that she in fact was the anonymous author of a
steamy new romance novel heating up book stores across the city, Plucking the
Daisy. Dismayed by her dad’s
reaction, she sets out for Paris to follow her dreams of becoming a writer for
real.
On
the train, she meets Daniel Roy (Gelin), who inadvertently pays for her ticket.
He is more than a little curious about the pretty young stranger,
especially when she claims her brother lives at an address that is actually a
museum dedicated to Balzac.
When
a misunderstanding over a valuable book forces Agnes and her brother to come up
with a quick 200,000 francs, she takes the first available opportunity, entering
into an amateur strip tease contest. With
a wig and mask, she tries to conceal her true identity, but it causes a Die
Fledermaus complication when Daniel begins to fall for the mysterious
stripper, despite his promise of love to Agnes.
(This is, of course, for anybody still paying attention to the plot after
Bardot’s dance.)
There
is silliness and mayhem at work here, none of which is particularly deep or
engrossing. The comedy is mildly
amusing, but Bardot carries the film. She
will likely be the only thing you remember after the end/
Video
***
This
is a quality, full frame black and white offering from HVe, with a crisp, clean
image from start to finish only marred by occasional signs of aging (spots,
dirt, etc.). The range of grayscale
is effective and pure, from deep blacks to clean whites. No major complaints.
Audio
**
The
mono soundtrack is serviceable, with some dynamic range created by the film’s
music. Dialogue seems clear enough,
even though it’s in French and hard to judge completely.
Features
*
There
are three trailers, with the ones for this film and The Night Heaven Fell lacking
subtitles. The one for And God
Created Woman is dubbed.
Summary: