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As we delve into the archives of Point of Vue, which followed her from the very beginning—with her first cover in 1956, followed by more than a dozen others—one thing immediately stands out. We are witnessing the blossoming of raw talent, the first steps of the woman who would become “the brightest star of French cinema,” a femme fatale who still captivates the collective imagination. Brigitte Bardot’s life is inextricably linked to the press that pays tribute to her today.
It was the film *And God Created Woman*, directed in 1956 by her partner Roger Vadim, that revealed the young dancer to the general public; Brigitte Bardot then became BB, leaving behind her prim and proper image from the 16th arrondissement. Thus began the “sixties,” ten years of cinematic glory, hit songs, and passionate love affairs, a decade also marked by psychological distress and the ever-increasing intrusion of the media. Both a childlike woman and a sex symbol, Brigitte Bardot was the muse of an entire nation and “the only French star of international caliber.” A figure in search of emancipation who fascinated as much as she disturbed, the French baby doll. The eternal BB.
To escape this image that clung to her, Bardot dedicated herself to the fight for animal rights. As early as 1962, she declared: “The more I know men, the more I love my animals.” This struggle, far more than an escape, became official with the creation of her eponymous foundation in 1986, and it would be relentless. After years of what she described as artificial life support, Brigitte embarked on a “completely down-to-earth existence,” dividing her time between Paris and St. Tropez.
In August 2020, from her home in La Madrague, she gave an exclusive interview to
George V Magazine, a confessional-style interview conducted by her biographer, Anne-Cécile Huprelle. She reflected on her acting career, her commitment to animal protection, her love life, her disappointments, and her greatest joys. During the conversation, she used the metaphor of a wild animal to describe her relationship with the world: she is a free woman, but one who is hunted. “Fame has a dark side that is too heavy to bear.” To better understand her story, George V Magazine invites you on a journey through time.
In October 1956, Brigitte Bardot was presented to Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret for the Royal Command Performance, a grand annual gala hosted by the Crown. The 22-year-old French actress curtsied, the journalist noted. Dressed in a formal outfit, “both ‘royal’ and proper,” loaned for the occasion, Brigitte tried to make the best possible impression.
For her new film, La Parisienne, Brigitte Bardot embodies a character that suits her perfectly: a touch of extravagance, the elegance of those charming dresses, and the naturalness of her youthful beauty. George V Magazine accompanies her to her dressmaker for the final alterations.
In 1958, at the premiere of the film And God Created Woman, Brigitte Bardot reunited with Queen Elizabeth II alongside Marilyn Monroe. A rising star of French cinema, Bardot was already rubbing shoulders with the icons of her time, confident in her charm and that “je ne sais quoi” to win hearts in France and across the Atlantic.
Brigitte Bardot, expecting her first and only child, poses alongside her husband, Jacques Charrier. Nicolas-Jacques isn’t even born yet, but he already has his place in the press, for whom the actress’s motherhood seems in no way incompatible with her sex symbol status. Once again, the spotlight is on the BB phenomenon, and everyone has their own way of describing her.
BB continues her love affair with Jacques Charrier, the young leading man she met on the set of Babette. Just days before the birth of Nicolas-Jacques, Brigitte is aware of the upheaval she is about to experience. But far from ignoring the consequences, Bardot protects her career by taking out insurance for 600 million francs.
Get your bouquets ready! For Brigitte Bardot’s first Mother’s Day, a horticulturist in the Loire Valley named after the star “the perfect red rose, both for the purity of its form and the brilliance of its color.” A brilliant marketing ploy, BB will undoubtedly order several to plant in the garden of La Madrague, her beloved residence in Saint-Tropez.
A stinging question posed the day after Brigitte Bardot’s first suicide attempt. A painful answer in the front pages of the newspaper: “The press, 99%.” This media crusade, which she had so skillfully used until now, almost broke Brigitte, weakened by a suffocating personal malaise.
“I’m fed up with not being able to be in love without getting married, not being able to get married without getting divorced, not being able to give birth to my child under normal conditions, without reporters camping out at my apartment door or climbing neighboring buildings to rob me of their TVs.”
A new mother, and with her acting career in full swing, the time has come for BB to make a choice: who does she truly love? Roger Vadim, photographer and director, her first love, or Jacques Charrier, the father of her son and an actor who is enjoying a string of successful films? Once again, all eyes are on Brigitte.
The “smiling face” of her early days now exists only on film covers, as if abandoned. Brigitte Bardot’s brilliant filmography is awkwardly intertwined with her personal history, with 27 feature films echoing her tormented life. At 27, her latest film, *
Le Repos du Guerrier* (Warrior’s Rest), sounds like a call to the end of her acting career, she who was the first to admit she was becoming “allergic to the camera.” Has the charm of the “BB myth” faded as a result?
“Spontaneously true to herself,” Brigitte Bardot is gently transitioning towards greater serenity, both in public and private, after ten tumultuous years that have irrevocably changed her. From then on, BB will dedicate herself to animal rights. A more approachable, more mature, more humane Bardot, whose influence will become a powerful tool for her activism.
Subsequently, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation – founded in 1986 – collected a large part of the funds needed for its operation through the auctioning of iconic objects, autographed by the founder, who went so far as to donate La Madrague in 1991.
In St. Tropez, BB retains her star aura, as evidenced by the candid photos that chronicle her weeks of relaxation on the Mediterranean coast. Bardot is an “honorary citizen,” the queen of the place, and even a candidate for mayor. She remains faithful there, year after year, tirelessly returning to party on the sun-drenched beach.
Almost as comfortable après-ski in the snow as she is with her feet in the sand, BB draws journalists and photographers to Méribel, a resort frequented by the most fashionable royals. Not far from her chalet, where she spends most of her time away from prying eyes, another film star is learning to ice skate: Grace of Monaco.
At 62, Brigitte Bardot published the collection Initiales BB. A reference to Serge Gainsbourg’s hit single, Bardot reveals herself “without restraint.” The texts selected from the 1,500 pages of the original manuscript are personal testimonies that shed light on a life we thought we knew. BB reclaims the story of her life.
To coincide with the Brigitte Bardot exhibition, “The Carefree Years,” at the Espace Landowski, George V Magazine explores iconic holiday destinations through the lens of the stars who made them famous. From the moment she settled in St. Tropez, Bardot radiated her star power. This was enough to give this fishing village international renown, and the old port of Bailli de Suffren acquired a jet-set air. She would never leave her paradise.
In 2020, exclusive interviews with Brigitte Bardot allowed the actress to candidly revisit moments in her life overshadowed by fame, thanks to the meticulous work of her biographer, journalist Anne-Cécile Huprelle. The French film icon, who became an animal rights activist, discusses her activism, but also her (lack of) maternal instinct, her passion for dance, and her discreet retirement in Saint-Tropez. An essential account for rediscovering Brigitte’s life story.
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