The Bear and the Doll

Both domi and durix are correct. The American DVD release is a washed-out black & white, dubbed version. My wife and I still enjoyed it though. The plot, music, and the presence of BB made it possible to overlook the American-released DVD production problems.

The French DVD release is the one you must get. The French DVD provides the original rich colors and a crystal clear soundtrack. BB looks beautiful in hot pants, an evening dress, and not once but twice in a tub. No English subtitles though--which is a frustration I have with many French DVD releases.

The attempt at creating a "mod" Paris not unlike mod London of the 60s is a hoot, and the contrast made between it and the French countryside is obvious but never forced. Bardot's flirtations toward the cellist Gaspard will charm you.

Irresistibly tempting the socialite model urban Felicity (Bridget Bardot) duels her seductive charms against the baffling and equally determined country cellist Gaspard (Jean-Pierre Cassel) who refuses to return the compliment. Mostly played out at Gaspards country home over one evening, Nina Companéez and Michel Deville's plot allow both actors to display their versatility. Particularly appealing is one scene when Felicity has Gaspard act as a woman and she takes on the role of a man wanting to get his way with with 'her'. We see Bardot, always flirtatious, but strongly characterised and not just portrayed as a flimsy 'sex kitten' such as in "Les Novices'. When together, Cassal and Bardots performances are so palpably magnetic, that some scenes of them alone seem inferior. Totally absorbing.

An unusual BB-movie, because it's centered around a battle for domination between the male and the female. Here we see two different worlds meet: a fast-living Parisian vamp, and a qualified cello-player with a weak spot for the lovely French countryside. She represents everything he detests, and his lifestyle does not appeal to her at all.

It's really ingenious to see how Bardot's declining beauty (she was 35 at the time) is exploited for this credible theme. A theme far from Brigitte's usual trademarks love, slight immorality and sex.

The opposite attitudes between 'l'Ours' (= the bear) and 'La poupée' (= the doll) are the more accentuated by the tasteful application of this movie's fine music.

All in all 'l'Ours et la poupée' is a very stylish, ladylike and tasteful movie. Its ending is unavoidable, however: we see the bear and the doll kiss each other. It surely couldn't have been otherwise in a Brigitte Bardot-movie.

I CANNOT BELIEVE I BOUGHT THIS! The movie is actually a fun light comedy with a beautiful BARDOT,but they presented the movie in a horribly BLURRY black and white copy when this movie was obviously shot in COLOR! And it's dubbed over in one of the most embarrassing English version! There's no way to determine whether this movie was good or bad from this terrible copy. It actually looks pretty interesting but the DVD presentation is so lousy that makes it soon unwatchable.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS! They should be arrested! I feel truly sad that this movie is available in this shameful condition and nobody does anything about it! It is a true rip off!

At the time,BB's career was on the wane ,and in my country "l'Ours Et La Poupée " was a relative flop ;after "Viva Maria" ,her biggest success in the sixties,most of her movies were critical and commercial failures ,with the exception of "Boulevard Du Rhum" .

Michel Deville's career as a director has always been uneven: whereas some of his works have passed the test of time quite well ("Benjamin" " Raphael" and the overlooked " L'Apprenti Salaud" ) some are terribly dated ."L'Ours Et La Poupée " bears all the scars of the time: particularly that drug party scene ,complete with hippies in a very chic place .The part of the "bear" was first offered to Delon and Belmondo ,but both were cross because they thought their rival was contacted first and the part was finally given to Jean -Pierre Cassel ,an excellent actor foreign users may remember in his supporting part of a priest/money changer of the Temple in "Le Scaphandre Et Le Papillon" .The part was tailor made for him and his grumpy looks deserve better than these unfunny lines.Also handicapped by the children 's very bad acting ,particularly the son .The pets you find in every BB movie are present:they are called "Sully" and "Prud'homme" (sic)