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A Very Private Affair

Play trailer Poster for A Very Private Affair Released Jan 31, 1962 1h 35m Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 1 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A gorgeous teen, Jill (Brigitte Bardot), resides in Switzerland with her mother and harbors feelings for the handsome Fabio (Marcello Mastroianni), an older man who is married to one of her friends. Growing restless, Jill moves to Paris to pursue ballet, but instead finds success and fame as a model and actress. When Jill, now a celebrity, seeks to retreat from the limelight and returns home to Switzerland, she begins a romance with the newly divorced Fabio, leading to an unwelcome media circus.

Critics Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Unsatisfactory shallow romantic drama. Rated: C- Aug 24, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member martin.hillstad@gmail.com Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member "If you love me, I feel strong. If you're close to me, I'm not afraid. If you stop thinking in me, I stop living." That's the best and the lonely thing in the movie. I am disappointed to watch Brigitte Bardot and Marcello Mastroianni in this unsatisfying pretentious drama of Louis Malle. The tax of stardom, boring of fame, curious paparazzi, fans and contracts.. That's all. "Jill" (Bardot) the ambitious girl, who began as a ballerina, then she left her mother to Paris being a model then a movie star. The stardom make her life changed that at the pinnacle of her fame she felt in despair and sickness and tried to run away where no one was to help her except for "Fabio" (Mastroianni) a separated husband of her friend Carla and a talented playmaker trying to lead her own career. I couldn't understand as "Jill" is not accepting these paparazzi, why she didn't forbid her old friend "Alain" from publishing her photos, to be out again for reporter and ignited her life again. Much things are not convincing here any way. Totally tedious non-attractive story about paparazzi, not about a love affair! It's too exaggerative, in a way or another I supposed this "Jill" was Lady Diana! No nice chemistry between Bardot & Mastroianni. Nice locations and editing, with discomforting repetitive music. It's not one of Malle's best for sure. I don't hate it, but it's not preferable. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member As with many French New Wave films, I spent much of the running time going back and forth on whether I admired or was annoyed by it. It certainly has a unique style - with it's narration and disjointed storytelling. But the core of the film is hollow, Brigitte Bardot and Marcello Mastroianni develop zero chemistry. Stylish and Interesting, but unsatisfying. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Not the best Bardot film. ...though she was gorgeous in it as always. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Bardot plays a very famous movie star who wants to be left alone from the press and public. She meets up with a man who dated a friend of hers but have since lost contact. The man played by Mastroianni is a successful arts magazine editor and play director. The two begin an affair shut out from the world but they soon must venture out again. Bardot's character is a little over-the-top, and there is not much chemistry between the two leads - the bad English dubbing does not help. The pace is rather slow. But despite this, Malle does spin an evolution of an affair under unique circumstances. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member A 1962 French film directed by Louis Malle, starring Brigitte Bardot and Marcello Mastroianni, semi-autobiographical film of BB's life, grreat impression of the 60's ... Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
A Very Private Affair

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Movie Info

Synopsis A gorgeous teen, Jill (Brigitte Bardot), resides in Switzerland with her mother and harbors feelings for the handsome Fabio (Marcello Mastroianni), an older man who is married to one of her friends. Growing restless, Jill moves to Paris to pursue ballet, but instead finds success and fame as a model and actress. When Jill, now a celebrity, seeks to retreat from the limelight and returns home to Switzerland, she begins a romance with the newly divorced Fabio, leading to an unwelcome media circus.
Director
Louis Malle
Genre
Romance
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 31, 1962, Original
Runtime
1h 35m