Loius Malle made a lot of serious, European-set films, so 'Viva Maria!', a comedy musical western, certainly represents an oddity in his catalogue. With Brigitte Bardot on board, you might think he couldn't have gone very far wrong. Unfortuantly, the dubbing of the English language version (reviewed here) is so appalling (and the choice of dialogue so dire) that you might be better off switching off the sound and enjoying it as a silent film, as there's only actually one song but a lot of visual comedy. A few details are nice, and in places Malle has fun with his camera, but overall the effect is more Carry-on than 'Moulin Rouge!'. The film also shows its age in its very sixties portrayal of liberated women. Overall, a sadly mediocre movie, made interesting only by the glimpse of its star.
Review of Viva Maria!
