Viva Maria! (1965) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - France ]

This is a fun escapist romp. What was at the time(1965) a pretty racy stage act with Bardot and Moreau is now rather quaint and charming. I have to admit that when it came to sex the French were certainly more open minded then we Americans were at the time. Some of the political ideology of the time effects some of the action and dialogue providing a groan and a chuckle. The great on-location photography is colorful and provides realism. Many inventive visual jokes help make this fast paced adventure enjoyable and upbeat. George Hamilton as a revolutionary?...now that's a laugh!! I would have loved to have seen this bright sunny picture when it first came out, at a Parisian theatre on a cold dark rainy afternoon.

Well, I've fallen in love with this movie when I was 22 and I still love it at 64. Did Louis Malle make any other comedies like this? I don't know. It's a masterpiece by an allround master of cinema giving his hand to comedy. Of course I know all his great 'serious' movies, what film-goer doesn't at my age in Europe. Newcomers please consult the IMDB. "Show but no substance" says Halliwell. But then he probably didn't get the satire (very French). And not the unique interplay of Bardot (for once allowed to be as beautifull as sexy and intelligent) and Moreau (who was always the sophisticated sexy one). "But" a show? what a show!So I won't give you a summary - you can easily get that at Am.com, but a rating of what interests ME most cf. new releases: This DVD-transfer is ok, clear picture and sound, not restored but acceptable, and I wish I could get rid of the English subtitles.

Brigitte Bardot is awesome, but the film is not. This is similar to most B. Bardot films. It seems the studios want so badly to get Bardot on screen that they will write anything on a sheet of paper and think she can deliver a great a film. This simply is not true. And the possibility of two beautiful ladies who perform striptease and vaudeville type shows are just NOT going to be involved in a revolution. The acting is certainly not great, but B. Bardot is just so gorgeous it is hard to dislike the film. There are also some pretty decent gunfights. This may have been better suited as a western.

I have a multi-region player and this wouldn't play.

This is great farce! You'll adore "Team Maria" (Bardot and Moreau), enjoy the often spectacular scenery, and get a real kick out of the bizarre and offbeat moments in this wonderful film. As for me, I highly appreciate the French subtitles. I have a number of French films, and although I understand French quite well, I sometimes miss bits of dialogue. This is the only French language film (though a few words of Spanish and English are uttered, too) I have on DVD that actually provides French subtitles. If you are a student of the French language, this film is a must. And if you are a student of La Bardot . . . eh bien, qu'attends-tu ?

A satirical film with the great Jeanne Moreau. I had a blast watching it. :)

What a fun classic romp with these two beauties. I did have a problem viewing it in english. I know it is there as I have seen it in english, so it was me, however maybe the instructions could have been clearer.

Almost believed in ghosts! ...Jeanne Moreau passed away just after I enjoyed this movie... I enjoyed this ...silly romp through history! Both Bardot and Moreau look as if they are having fun! George Hamilton deserved to be shot! ... I wish they could have taken more off in the films back then... DMLane

I immediately grabbed a copy when this came out on DVD remembering it fondly from having seen the movie a number of times at cinema clubs in late 1960s and early 1970s before it disappeared from sight.The film provides a very unique take on the standard story of oppressed people's revolutions South American style combined with a very Gallic comedy approach especially on sexual aspects with Bardot and Moreau playing it very tongue in cheek against their better known '60s personas. The use of a travelling show of French actors hiding the revolutionary Bardot as they traverse South America becoming the fuse after encountering the local revolutionary leader provides in turn a slightly cynical nod to the more emotional pulling Hollywood approach to such movies. I still think the movie has no comparable from all I have seen. Louis Malle clearly no stranger to mature comedy (per his earlier French "Zazie in the metro" film) delivers a much more international comedy movie. Bardot in particular comes across as having a ball and much more interesting an actress than her usual fare and the scene of the two lady leads accidentally inventing the striptease being a classic.What has amazed me most is that my family who are all much younger and clearly never knew the original movie play this DVD continually proving yet again that good comedy clearly has no time limit!

For entertainment I really love this rather flawed film. I saw it first in the late 60's expecting Jeanne Moreau to wipe Bardot off the face of the universe only to find Bardot possibly pipping Moreau? It's a moot point really. As films go this is not one of the best ever made but it is strangely anarchic, blackly humorous and vastly entertaining 'if' you in the mood. It reminds me of Candy slightly - another quite ridiculous highly entertaining bit of visual delight. I won't mention Monenegro Pigs n Pearls. None quite Fellini's 8 1/2 perhaps but Hell's Bells.. all on my playlist for sure. As one other Viva Maria reviewer put it - Nice pair! Moreau not at all bad either.

I'm no expert but in my eyes this film with Brigitte Bardot, Jeanne Moreau and George Hamilton is not bad at all and even slightly naive. The two Marias are both beautiful in their youth and the film turns on that,and their naivete. I first saw the film ages ago, and it was the songs that stuck in my head all these years, until I finally had to see it again. Now, that I have seen it, I'm not disappointed, and quite happy to have this film "at my beck and call". It's a harmonious mixture of adventure, romance and even suspense\thriller, with an almost happy end. Quite worthwhile, to my thinking.

A first-class Bardot fil in English. She demonstrates her fine acting abilityin English. The film is well conceived, beautifully filmed and well acted. Good entertainment for all the family.

This is what Carry On films would have been like had the French invented them. Bardot and Moreau both look gorgeous as they fight injustice, overthrow an evil dictatorship, and invent striptease - never has ooh la la been more appropriate!