Come Dance with Me (1959 film)

Last updated

Come Dance with Me!
Come Dance with Me poster.jpg
French theatrical release poster
Directed by Michel Boisrond
Written byMichel Boisrond
Gérard Oury
Jean-Charles Tacchella
Annette Wademant
L.C. Thomas
Based onThe Blonde Died Dancing by Kelley Roos
Produced by Francis Cosne
Starring Brigitte Bardot
Henri Vidal
Dawn Addams
Cinematography Robert Lefebvre
Edited by Claudine Bouché
Music by Henri Crolla
André Hodeir
Production
companies
Francos Films
Cinematografica
Distributed bySofradis
Release date
  • 28 December 1959 (1959-12-28)(France)
Running time
91 minutes
Countries France
Italy
Language French
Box office3,196,005 admissions (France) [1]

Come Dance with Me! (French : Voulez-vous danser avec moi?; Italian release Sexy Girl) is a 1959 French-Italian drama film directed by Michel Boisrond and starring Brigitte Bardot. The film is based on the 1956 novel The Blonde Died Dancing by American author Audrey "Kelley" Roos.

Contents

Plot

Against her wealthy industrialist father Albert's wishes, young Virginie (Brigitte Bardot) marries dentist Hervé Dandieu (Henri Vidal). After three months, all passion has disappeared, and after an argument, Hervé leaves the house for a drink at a club. There, he is seduced by Anita Florès (Dawn Addams), a red-headed dance instructor. Unbeknownst to him, Anita is a scam artist who has sent her boyfriend Léon (Serge Gainsbourg) to photograph her in companionship with Hervé. Although Hervé eventually decides to stay faithful to his wife, Léon is able to take some pictures of their intimate moments.

Hervé refuses to give in to any of her attempts to blackmail him, until she calls him one night. Virginie and Albert overhear the conversation, after which Virginie concludes that her husband is having an affair. The next day, she follows him to Anita's dance studio, and when looking through the keyhole, she spots Anita's murdered body next to Hervé, who is holding a gun. Hervé convinces her that he is not guilty and they flee the place of crime through the back door, although they are noticed by some of the staff members. To prove her husband's innocence, she charms Anita's husband Florès (Darío Moreno) into hiring her as a dance teacher in order to gain the opportunity to find more information.

While going through the studio, Virginie overhears a conversation between Mr. Florès and his mistress Daisy (Maria Pacôme), who plan on misleading the detectives. After several investigations of the inspectors, Virginie is convinced that she has found the murderer through a letter. According to her, this man is Gérard Lalemand. Because the detectives do not believe her, she decides to contact Gérard herself. Virginie talks to him over the phone and arranges a meeting. When Gérard fails to show up, Virginie locates his residence, where she is told that Mr. Lalemand has been dead for over three years. Virginie realizes that she has been talking to Lalemand's son (Georges Descrières), who is the same charming man whom she met earlier at the studio.

Shortly after, Léon has been arrested for blackmailing Hervé. He admits that he is the mysterious person who left the studio over the roof on the night of the murder, but claims that Hervé is the guilty one. To Hervé's surprise, Albert uses a trick to prove Hervé's innocence to the detectives: He claims that a witness saw the murder, whereupon Herve bursts into joy, suggesting to the hidden detectives that he did not commit the murder.

In the meantime, Virginie believes that she has tracked Gérard Lalemand down to Blue Fetish, a gay nightclub where he is performing as a singing transvestite under the alias Danielle. Upon confronting him, she realizes that the man is not Lalemand but her fellow dance teacher Daniel (Philippe Nicaud). Virginie leaves soon afterwards to return to Gérard Lalemand's residence.

There, she finds out that the real Lalemand is an acquaintance to Florès and Daisy, who have given a false statement when Lalemand was still a suspect. Virginie is told that Anita was Lalemand's father's mistress and that she had permission to profit from Lalemand's F50 million inheritance while she was still alive. Therefore, obviously bisexual Lalemand has sent his boyfriend Daniel to kill Anita. Hervé's innocence is proven perfectly, and he gratefully kisses his wife.

Cast

Production

Unlike her earlier films, for which she received a notably lesser salary, Brigitte Bardot demanded $200,000 when she was cast. [2] Sylvia Lopez was originally cast as Anita Florès, but terminal leukemia prohibited her from finishing the film. She withdrew after a few days of shooting and was replaced by Dawn Addams. [3]

Shooting took place at the Victorine Studios in Nice. The film's sets were designed by the art director Jean André.

Reception

The film in US grossed $2 million, a dissatisfactory amount compared to Bardot's earlier films. [2] The flop inspired Raoul Lévy, the producer who made Bardot a star, [2] to stop his collaboration with the actress. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigitte Bardot</span> French actress and singer (born 1934)

Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot, often referred to by her initials B.B., is a French former actress, singer, and model as well as an animal rights activist. Famous for portraying characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she is one of the best known symbols of the sexual revolution. Although she withdrew from the entertainment industry in 1973, she remains a major pop culture icon. She has acted in 47 films, performed in several musicals, and recorded more than 60 songs. She was awarded the Legion of Honour in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serge Gainsbourg</span> French musician and actor (1928–1991)

Serge Gainsbourg was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative releases which caused uproar in France, dividing public opinion. His artistic output ranged from his early work in jazz, chanson, and yé-yé to later efforts in rock, zouk, funk, reggae, and electronica. Gainsbourg's varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorise, although his legacy has been firmly established and he is often regarded as one of the world's most influential popular musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Vadim</span> French filmmaker (1928–2000)

Roger Vadim Plemiannikov was a French screenwriter, film director and producer, as well as an author, artist and occasional actor. His best-known works are visually lavish films with erotic qualities, such as And God Created Woman (1956), Blood and Roses (1960), The Game Is Over (1966), Barbarella (1968), and Pretty Maids All in a Row (1971).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvia Lopez</span> French model and actress (1933–1959)

Sylvia Lopez was a French model and actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Lane</span> Australian singer-songwriter (1960–2021)

Anita Louise Lane was an Australian singer-songwriter who was briefly a member of the Bad Seeds with Nick Cave and Mick Harvey and collaborated with both bandmates. Lane released two solo albums, Dirty Pearl (1993) and Sex O'Clock (2001).

<i>Contempt</i> (film) 1963 film by Jean-Luc Godard

Contempt is a 1963 French New Wave drama film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard, based on the 1954 Italian novel Il disprezzo by Alberto Moravia. It stars Brigitte Bardot, Michel Piccoli, Jack Palance, Fritz Lang, and Giorgia Moll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Je t'aime... moi non plus</span> 1969 single by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin

"Je t'aime... moi non plus" is a 1967 song written by Serge Gainsbourg for Brigitte Bardot. In 1969, Gainsbourg recorded the best known version as a duet with English actress Jane Birkin. Although this version reached number one in the UK—the first foreign-language song to do so—and number two in Ireland, it was banned in several countries due to its overtly sexual content.

<i>Please, Not Now!</i> 1961 film

Please, Not Now! (original French title La Bride sur le cou, is a French comedy film released in 1961, directed by Roger Vadim and starring his former wife, Brigitte Bardot.

<i>A Very Private Affair</i> 1962 film

A Very Private Affair is a 1962 French romantic drama film directed by Louis Malle and starring Brigitte Bardot.

<i>Long Live Maria!</i> 1965 film

Long Live Maria! is a 1965 adventure comedy film starring Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau as two women named Maria who meet and become revolutionaries in the early 20th century. It also starred George Hamilton as Florès, a revolutionary leader. It was co-written and directed by Louis Malle, and filmed in Eastman Color. The costumes were by Pierre Cardin.

<i>Here Come the Girls</i> (1953 film) 1953 film by Claude Binyon

Here Come the Girls is a 1953 musical comedy film directed by Claude Binyon, filmed in Technicolor, produced by Bob Hope's company Hope Productions Inc., and released by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Neros Mistress</i> 1956 Italian film

Mio figlio Nerone, released in the US as Nero's Mistress is a 1956 Italian historical comedy film directed by Steno and starring Alberto Sordi, Vittorio De Sica, Gloria Swanson and Brigitte Bardot, with cinematography by Mario Bava. It depicts a visit by the Roman Emperor Nero and his entourage to a coastal villa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippe Nicaud</span> French actor

Philippe Nicaud was a French actor and singer, was married to Christine Carère from 1957 till her death in 2008.

<i>Strip Tease Murder</i> 1961 British film by Ernest Morris

Strip Tease Murder is a low budget 1961 British second feature film thriller directed by Ernest Morris and starring John Hewer and Ann Lynn. It was written by Paul Tabori and produced by The Danzigers.

<i>Babette Goes to War</i> 1959 film

Babette Goes to War is a 1959 French CinemaScope film starring Brigitte Bardot. It was Bardot's first movie since becoming a star where she did not take off her clothes.

<i>The Intruder</i> (1999 film) 1999 film

The Intruder is a 1999 psychological thriller directed by David Bailey from a screenplay by Jamie Brown, based on the novel of the same name by Brooke Leimas. It stars Charlotte Gainsbourg as a woman who suspects she is being stalked, possibly by her husband's first wife, who was murdered three years ago.

<i>Murder on the Orient Express</i> (2017 film) 2017 film by Kenneth Branagh

Murder on the Orient Express is a 2017 mystery film co-produced and directed by Kenneth Branagh from a screenplay by Michael Green, based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Agatha Christie. The film stars an ensemble cast with Branagh as Hercule Poirot, alongside Tom Bateman, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, and Daisy Ridley. The plot follows Poirot, a world-renowned detective, as he investigates a murder on the luxury Orient Express train service in the 1930s.

Christian Gérard Mazas, known as Christian-Gérard, was a French stage and film actor as well as theater director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Pacôme</span> French actress and playwright (1923–2018)

Maria Pacôme was a French actress and playwright.

References

  1. Box office information for film at Box Office Story
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Brigitte Bardot Washed Up, Says Man Who Made Her Star" by Joe Hyams, The Tuscaloosa News , February 21, 1961, p. 7
  3. "Trivia for Come Dance With Me! (1960)". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved 9 June 2010.