From the first scene onwards where we see Juliette (Bardot) sunbathing naked it is clear that the only reason Vadim made this movie is to make his wife an international superstar. I'll have to admit that some scenes are really iconic. I already mentioned the sunbathing, but also the scene where Juliette walks out of the sea with her dress open from her belly and of course the dance scene at the end of the movie.
Despite these memorable scenes (especially from male view) the cinematography is very average. We hardly see any interesting shots. The script is very poor with dialog and scenes not worked out very well. The most interesting aspect of the story is the band of brothers, or more specific the demolition of this band by the force of nature that is Juliette. She loves Michel but longs for Antoine who just sees her as a one-night-stand. Then there is youngest brother Christian who's character is somewhere between his older brothers but he's to young to really participate in the game. Where there's a real loyalty between the brothers at the start of the movie at the end they all stand against each other. Antoine will leave for good and Christian who adored his eldest brother is disillusioned by the behavior of Antoine. Michel is probably most damaged. His mother and brother despise him for hanging on to his marriage with Juliette and he faces a future with her that will only include more drama. Apart from the sunbathing the movie is not very interesting until Juliette has her affair with Antoine and the brothers fall apart. The scene where Juliette starts dancing in the café and Michel caught while living the life she wants to live is by far the best of the movie. Bardot is so sensual in this scene and the acting by Trintignant very intense. Nowadays the movie is quiet tame but I can imagine that it caused a stir in the mid fifties. So really enjoyable for the above mentioned scenes but no milestone in the history of cinema.
Despite these memorable scenes (especially from male view) the cinematography is very average. We hardly see any interesting shots. The script is very poor with dialog and scenes not worked out very well. The most interesting aspect of the story is the band of brothers, or more specific the demolition of this band by the force of nature that is Juliette. She loves Michel but longs for Antoine who just sees her as a one-night-stand. Then there is youngest brother Christian who's character is somewhere between his older brothers but he's to young to really participate in the game. Where there's a real loyalty between the brothers at the start of the movie at the end they all stand against each other. Antoine will leave for good and Christian who adored his eldest brother is disillusioned by the behavior of Antoine. Michel is probably most damaged. His mother and brother despise him for hanging on to his marriage with Juliette and he faces a future with her that will only include more drama. Apart from the sunbathing the movie is not very interesting until Juliette has her affair with Antoine and the brothers fall apart. The scene where Juliette starts dancing in the café and Michel caught while living the life she wants to live is by far the best of the movie. Bardot is so sensual in this scene and the acting by Trintignant very intense. Nowadays the movie is quiet tame but I can imagine that it caused a stir in the mid fifties. So really enjoyable for the above mentioned scenes but no milestone in the history of cinema.