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Viva Maria

Play trailer Poster for Viva Maria Released Dec 18, 1965 1h 59m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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60% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Gorgeous IRA operative Maria (Brigitte Bardot) flees the British authorities and finds herself in Mexico, where she meets a stunning woman also named Maria (Jeanne Moreau), a singer in a traveling circus. The new friends start a vaudeville act -- one that grows exponentially more popular after they incorporate striptease into their routine. When the singer Maria falls for a charismatic Mexican rebel, the girls leave the circus behind and recreate themselves as wild-eyed revolutionaries.

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety [Viva Maria!] has B.B. in her best form since And God Created Woman, and brilliantly matched by Jeanne Moreau. They are backed by a rollicking, comic adventure opus impeccably brought off by director Louis Malle. Feb 23, 2012 Full Review Pauline Kael McCall's Parts of it are so badly miscalculated, so lacking in timing and rhythm and point, that you hate yourself even for sitting there. But when it’s good, it’s really lovely. Sep 20, 2023 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com One of Louis Malle's strangest, most eccentric films, this satire of political revolutions is visually spectacular, pairing France's two most popular stars: Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau. Rated: C+ Mar 20, 2011 Full Review Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Suggests David Lean on a steady diet of chiclets Dec 21, 2009 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It's a ludicrous commercial film that's about as empty as most costume extravaganzas, but because it's so genial has crowd-pleasing appeal. Rated: C+ Nov 2, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member In 1907, in a Central American country called San Miguel, Maria II (Brigitte Bardot), the daughter of an Irish Republican anarchist, meets Maria I (Jeanne Moreau), the singer of a circus. After her father dies, Maria II hides in the circus where she sees Maria I's partner commit suicide after a failed love affair. Both Marias agree to form a theatrical team. In her debut as a singer, Maria II accidentally invents striptease, an action that lets the circus achieve great fame. Shortly afterwards the Marias meet Florès (George Hamilton), a socialist revolutionary. He invites them to join his cause, a revolution against "El Dictador" (José Ángel Espinoza). But Florès is soon shot. On his deathbed he makes Maria I promise to carry through with his cause and she agrees. Though at first reluctant to acquiesce to Florès' and Maria I's endeavor, Maria II joins the cause when she comes to the aid of her vulnerable friend... Time called it a "jaunty but slipshod farce"; "Having saddled himself with an idea that often seems too silly for words, Director Malle rides to the rescue with more anti-state, anti-church, antedated spoofery than he can gracefully handle. His rhythm is erratic, as though he were trying to make a movie in five or six different styles at the same time, none wholly his own. But even the deadly slow stretches are redeemed by cameraman Henri Decaë, whose breathtakingly sophisticated photography is a show in itself, imperceptibly shaded as the action moves from lush Rousseau tropics to the cabaret scenes that exude a smoky golden haze in which Moreau and Bardot appear like creatures of Lautrec or Degas, ineffably alluring." According to Variety, the film has "B.B. in her best form since And God Created Woman, and brilliantly matched by Jeanne Moreau. They are backed by a rollicking, comic adventure opus impeccably brought off by director Louis Malle." (via Wikipedia) Louis Malle´s feministic adventure comedy/farce/satire with a anti-state and anti-church setting is just too silly in my book. Bardot and Moreau enlights the screen as the heroines with their presence, but the storyline is not of my liking at least. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau are burlesque performers of a sort in the old west and get aught up in a south of the border revolution. The film was written and directed by Louis Malle, so there is a bit of a political subtext, but its mostly all for fun, watching proper Moreau and Bardot fighting the revolution with frocks and parasols. George Hamilton is also part of the revolution. Silly and quite enjoyable. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member One of Louis Malle's strangest, most eccentric films, this satire of political revolutions is visually spectacular, pairing France's two most popular stars: Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member After the death of her father, a daughter of a revolutionary joins a band of traveling musicians and actors before leading a revolution of her own. The best that I can guess about this film is that it's a satire of revolutions or revolutionary films. Many of the scenes are so over-blown and beyond practical conception that it's impossible to take them seriously. However, I can't be sure. The satire is far from clear. What is clear is how utterly annoying everything about this film is. The characters are broadly drawn types, the situations are ludicrous, and the attempts at comic bits are as bad as anything I've seen. I found myself counting down the seconds this film had left, and watching it became a chore. Overall, I hated this film even though there might be a mystery satire somewhere beneath all the bullshit. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member "Viva Maria!" is in no doubt a bizarre movie, but is still one that I enjoyed. Two women named Maria (Bardot and Moreau) accidentally create the sriptease in early 1900's Mexico. They create a sensation, and while traveling to another venue to perform, Maria II falls for a Spanish revolution leader (Hamilton). When he dies, she swears to continue his work. The Maria's end up being quite the leaders, and are treated like saints. This movie was listed as a comedy, but I didn't laugh once. The other genre listed said action/adventure, and thankfully that was right. This film is pretty stupid, but when you're watching a movie, you have to look at other aspects besides art. I was entertained, and that's all that matters. "Viva Maria!" is one of those crowd-pleasing movies, that will never be a classic. But on the other hand, is a great movie to see if you wanna see French bombshells Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau together. No, these are not their greatest performances, but Moreau adds class to this movie, and Bardot adds fun, with all of her shooting skills ... This is a strange movie plot wise, because as the film goes on you realize, "why do they create the striptease?" Soon, it becomes a random scene, and I think the movie could have been better off had they ditched it and just had the Maria's be Spanish Revolution leaders. Oh well. "Viva Maria!" is pretty dumb, but a good time waster. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Viva Maria (1965) We've been told that famous French sex kitten Brigitte Bardot never made a film in America. However, that's really untrue. She made Viva Maria on location in Mexico and that's in America. This French made western comedy was directed by Louis Malle. It's hard to believe that this was considered very racy and actually was one of the movies instrumental in starting the whole MPAA rating code for movies. It's hardly worth a PG-13 now. Although this movie was very popular around the world, (European Westerns were very popular at the time) but it wasn't so popular here in the States, and was even banned in some towns probably more for being anti-church and capitalist than anything sexual. Maria I (Bardot) is a young girl in Ireland and Britain who helped her father make and explode bombs on the british. They later moved to Central America and slowly moved up to Mexico before soldiers killed her father. Maria walks into a circus and meets Maria II (Jeanne Moreau) who is a singer and dancer in the circus. The two of them team up and become an act. Maria I accidentally tears some of her clothes and becomes the inventor of the strip tease. Maria II meets a young revolutionary, Flores (George Hamilton) who gets her involved in the Mexican revolution. Maria I is quick to help out. Together they incite the poor to fight a local dictator. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Viva Maria

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Movie Info

Synopsis Gorgeous IRA operative Maria (Brigitte Bardot) flees the British authorities and finds herself in Mexico, where she meets a stunning woman also named Maria (Jeanne Moreau), a singer in a traveling circus. The new friends start a vaudeville act -- one that grows exponentially more popular after they incorporate striptease into their routine. When the singer Maria falls for a charismatic Mexican rebel, the girls leave the circus behind and recreate themselves as wild-eyed revolutionaries.
Director
Louis Malle
Producer
Oscar Dancigers
Screenwriter
Louis Malle, Jean-Claude Carrière
Distributor
United Artists
Production Co
Les Productions Artistes Associés, Vides Cinematografica, Nouvelles Éditions de Films [fr]
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 18, 1965, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 16, 2017
Runtime
1h 59m