August 10th: VIVA MARIA! (Louis Malle,1965)

At the turn of the century, two showgirls become involved in a Central American revolution.

Louis Malle was a contemporary of the directors who made up the Nouvelle Vague/French New Wave, though he is usually not associated with the critics-turned-filmmakers of the movement. After collaborating with underwater pioneer Jacques Cousteau and director Robert Bresson, he directed his first feature Elevator To The Gallows, featuring a musical score by Miles Davis, which became an international success and made a star of its lead actress Jeanne Moreau.

In the mid-1960s Malle was interested in subverting the formula of the Hollywood "buddy movie" by having two female leads. He wrote the script with New Wave icon Jean-Claude Carriere, a frequent collaborator of surrealist Luis Buñuel (Belle du Jour) and comedians Jacques Tati and Pierre Étaix.

Malle cast sex symbol Brigitte Bardot as one of the leads, but it was the inclusion of Jeanne Moreau in the other role that secured financing for the film. American actor George Hamilton plays the romantic foil, and supporting roles are played by veteran Paulette Dubost (who had worked with Jean Renoir, François Truffaut, and Max Ophüls) and Mexican actor Claudio Brook (Buñuel's The Exterminating Angel).

The film was shot on location in various parts of Mexico for four months. Behind the camera was cinematographer Henri Decaë, who had worked with Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Samourai) and Truffaut (The 400 Blows) and Claude Chabrol (Les Cousins). Moreau and Bardot bonded due to the long shoot and rigorous physical demands of the musical and action sequences.

Because the cast included actors speaking French, English, Spanish, and Dutch, many were dubbed for both the French and English language versions. The score was composed by veteran Georges Delerue (Truffaut's Jules and Jim, Jean-Luc Godard's Contempt).

Viva Maria! was a big box office hit in France; reviews were mixed-to-positive, with both actresses praised, and they would both receive British Film Academy nominations, with Moreau winning. Some of the content resulted in the film being banned or censored in some U.S. cities, leading to the establishment of the MPAA ratings code.

Running time is 2 hours.