Review of Love on a Pillow (1962) by Mereie D — 29 Apr 2010

Normally (problematic) relationship dramas are not my cup of tea, but with certain people present in the cast, one has to make sacrifices. And the sacrifice was well worth it. It must be said that Roger Vadim was extremely lucky to meet up with someone as charming as Brigitte Bardot, who also happens to be a very good actress.

In most cases, actors could be replaced by others without any significant differences for the movie, but Bardot is one of the exceptions. She is so adorable she has the talent to make rather than break any movie.

Given the addition of the qualities of the other actors, â??Le repos du guerrierâ?? must be called a success. I might have preferred some more explicit resistance from some of the minor characters (do they dislike Genevièveâ??s (Bardot) relationship with Renaud (Hossein) because of his social background or because of his â??bad newsâ?? personality?), but apparently Vadim preferred a focussing on the relationship as such.

The movie gives a very good insight into the concept of blind, passionate love and the sacrifices one is willing to make to acquire a desired party. It also manages to well represent a certain time period (early sixties) and its fashions and attitudes.

The conclusion is romantic, but also perhaps too conventional and naïve: personally I still donâ??t trust Renaud. In my opinion, he is not just someone who is going through a difficult period in his life, unwilling to accept certain values temporarily.

I am very much afraid he must be seen as a serious mental case who will make Geneviève very unhappy, because anything like real change will turn out an impossibility. But perhaps I am now being as cynical as Renaud himself.