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Anchor Bay presents

Please Not Now (La Bride sur le Cou; US:Only for Love) (1961)

"That will teach Philippe a lesson. He always thinks that I'm stupid."- Sophie (Brigitte Bardot)

Stars: Brigitte Bardot, Michel Subor, Jacques Riberolles, Josephine James
Other Stars: Mireille Darc, Serge Marquand, Claude Brasseur
Director: Roger Vadim

Manufacturer: Crest National
MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (nudity, language, sexual situations)
Run Time: 01h:29m:25
Release Date: 2000-04-25
Genre: romantic comedy

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
B+ BAA C-

 

DVD Review

In 1961, when Bardot was despairing and attempted suicide, she was still doing romantic screwball comedies such as Please Not Now, a picture directed by her former husband, Roger Vadim. While these sexy comedies are somewhat formulaic, this one is energized by a vivacious performance by Bardot and a properly wacky supporting cast, including an out-of-control hypnotist.

Model Sophie (Bardot) is in love with her photographer boyfriend, Philippe Belmas (Jacques Riberolles). But Philippe has other plans, which involve running off with American slaughterhouse heiress Barbara Wilbury (Josephine James). Bardot, already the animal lover, comments that Wilbury "looks like the kind of person who would kill little animals." Running into Alain (Michel Subor) at a restaurant, she soon uses Alain to plot her revenge, first by making Philippe jealous, and then by taking Barbara out of the picture permanently, in the tradition of Sophie's murderous Corsican grandmother. The action gets wild and woolly on the slopes of Villars-de-Lans, as Sophie plots to get even while Alain plots to get Sophie for himself. Topping it all off is a lengthy fantasy sequence which features Bardot dancing first with only a towel and then without.

Bardot is at her most iconic here, with impossibly long eyelashes, elaborate wigs and pouty beestung lips. She seems to be having a good time with the role and puts a good deal into it. She has some fun slapstick moments, such as brainlessly blowing up the gas stove in her apartment. Riberolles is a typically colorless romantic interest; Subor is marginally better since he is willing to stop at nothing to win Sophie (in a decidedly non-PC moment of desperation, he forces her to disrobe at gunpoint). Serge Marquand is entertaining as Prince Shribouyoune Bayane, an Indian prince reduced to using his hypnotic powers in a nightclub act; unfortunately, he doesn't have the best control over his powers. Mireille Darc inexplicably gets third billing even though she has two brief scenes as Philippe's assistant, and displays no particular interest in the part.

Vadim's direction is for the most part pedestrian and workmanlike. He does, however, have his moments; one of the best of these is an amusing split-screen effect where we see both of the couples warring; as they push against the barrier, it moves and crowds the other couple tightly until they push back. The stylized nude sequence was notorious at the time and often severely cut. It's fairly modest in retrospect, filmed through a heavy fog which leaves most everything to the imagination. Anchor Bay says that it is presented complete and uncut here for the first time on video.

Rating for Style: B+
Rating for Substance: B

 

Image Transfer

 One
Aspect Ratio2.35:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratioyes
Anamorphicyes


Image Transfer Review: Anchor Bay delivers a crisp and beautiful 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer of this black and white film. Blacks are rich and deep, and a wide range of greys are displayed. Detail is sharp and clear throughout (except during the fantasy sequence with the nude dance, which is intentionally fogged). Nary a speckle nor instance of frame damage is to be seen. Bit rates are extremely high, ranging about 8-9 Mbps for much of the film. An excellent viewing experience.

Image Transfer Grade: A
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
MonoFrenchno


Audio Transfer Review: The only audio provided is a 2.0 French mono track. It is clear and without distortion, and suffers from no noise or hiss whatsoever. During the bar scene, extensive looping is quite obvious, part of the downside of such a perfect audio transfer. It's a real pleasure to have such care taken with a mono soundtrack in a foreign language film.

Audio Transfer Grade:

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Scene Access with 22 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
Cast and Crew Biographies
Cast and Crew Filmographies
0 Original Trailer(s)
Packaging: other
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: single

Extras Review: The trailer from the UK release is included in 1.33:1 anamorphic. It's in quite good shape, and the nude dance scene appears rather clearer here than it does in the film itself. Accompanying the trailer is an extensive bio of Bardot, with a selected filmography. It's not a terrific package of extras, but it's better than nothing. Chaptering is decent, and the English subtitles are removable.

Extras Grade: C-
 

Final Comments

Vadim delivers a sexy screwball comedy that manages to elicit a fair number of laughs. A beautiful transfer helps immeasurably. Worth a look if you're in the mood for something a little risqué.

Mark Zimmer 2000-11-26