True icons, symbols of a France where cinema is at a turning point of modernity, journalist and writer Henry-Jean Servat pays tribute to Brigitte Bardot, Mylène Demongeot, and Michèle Mercier in an exhibition entitled: Brigitte, Mylène & Michèle – The Little Darlings of the Côte d’Azur.
In the 1960s, women become freer, bolder, sensual. An elegant and beguiling BB, a mischievous Mylène with a pouty face, a mysterious and glamorous Michèle Mercier.
Throughout the exhibition, candid photos from film sets or Harcourt studios, posters, and film excerpts evoke the sultry blonde BB in Love on a Pillow, La Parisienne, or And God Created Woman by her husband of the time, Roger Vadim.
The Cinecittà studios or those at La Victorine serve as the ideal backdrop for this era where the myth of French glamour is cultivated. The exhibition curator, the popular Henry-Jean Servat, is full of anecdotes about these three actresses who challenge taboos and revitalize French cinema.
Shooting Anecdotes and Cinema Myths
Did you know, for example, that during the filming of Godard’s Contempt, he had BB wear a brunette wig for a good part of the film as a tribute to his beloved, Anna Karina, who was then leaving him for Jacques Perrin?
In this exhibition, you can admire rarities, loans, drawings inspired by photos or illustrations, including a work created especially for the tribute by Italian artist Guido Palmero: it depicts the three stars in the back of the famous French 4L car.
While Brigitte was the first to break free from the constraints and corsets, to do away with perfectly-coiffed, adorned beauties draped in fur stoles, Mylène Demongeot was long confined to playful and fanciful roles, though she aspired to portray cruel and stern characters. Yet she began in 1957 in The Witches of Salem, in the role of an unyielding New England servant.
A native of Nice, she gravitates in the wake of Brigitte Bardot, notably in Futures Vedettes, where the latter is the headliner. They are friends, not rivals. Mylène admires Brigitte. They never part and share the same values, notably animal protection.
Mylène was involved in the Hollywood adaptation of Bonjour Tristesse, the first successful novel by Françoise Sagan. Planned to act in English alongside David Niven, it was ultimately not Brigitte Bardot who co-starred with her, as director Otto Preminger intended, but Jean Seberg, who had just filmed Sainte Jeanne with him. Both actresses learned each other’s languages in a large apartment in Nice provided by the production, a connection that left a lasting impression on them.
A scene from Bonjour Tristesse takes place in Saint-Tropez, the same location where Brigitte had filmed the outdoor scenes of And God Created Woman. Mylène’s role in Marc Allégret’s Be Beautiful But Shut Up as a ravishing fool would remain a regret for her. However, she did secure the role of the cruel Milady de Winter in Bernard Borderie’s adaptation of The Three Musketeers. American producer Paul Graetz then offered her a part in Women Are Weak under Michel Boisrond’s direction. She was at the peak of her popularity.
Later, she appears—much like Bardot in And God Created Woman or Michèle Mercier in Black Sun (1966)—in an electrifying mambo dance with a black dancer on a rusty cargo ship, in a small white short and wooden clogs, in Under Ten Flags. A peak of provocation for the time. Rare documents not to be missed in the exhibition.
In reality, all three dreamed more of being dance stars than actresses. Michèle Mercier practiced dance as a child at the Nice Opera House. It was chance that led Michèle—whose real name is Jocelyne—before the camera.
Angélique, Shared Role and Intertwined Destinies
One Sunday, while Denys de La Patellière and Michel Audiard were on a weekend scouting locations for their next film Retour de Manivelle at the Victorine studios, they suffered from indigestion. The pharmacy on duty was owned by Mr. Mercier, on Jean-Médecin Avenue. He brought them the medication, accompanied by his daughter. Nearly 18 years old but appearing more mature, she left a strong impression with her grace, elegance, and steady voice. They hired her immediately to play the housekeeper for the leading lady, portrayed by Michèle Morgan.
The shooting took place at the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Reluctant to leave the world of dance, Michèle had to avoid an initial stumbling block: to avoid ending up nude in bed with the actor Daniel Gélin, known as a womanizer, she wore several pairs of underpants, refusing to fully undress during the different takes.
What connects the three stars is that they were all considered for the titular role in Angélique, Marquise of the Angels by Bernard Borderie (the costume is on display on the first floor).
After Bardot’s initial refusal, Mylène’s unavailability, and the abandonment of the idea of Marina Vlady, producer and screenwriter Francis Cosne opted for Michèle Mercier. This saga of five romantic adventure films set against a historical backdrop popularized her throughout Europe.
R. Haugade
Exhibition — Espace Culturel Port Lympia
Address: 2, quai Entrecastaux, Nice
Opening: Wednesday to Sunday, from 10 AM to 5 PM until April 12th
Information: 04 89 04 53 10 or on the Espace Lympia website
A book accompanies the exhibition:
The Little Darlings of the Côte d’Azur, because they were born or discovered in the South, Henry-Jean Servat, Gilletta Editions.
