''Plucking the Daisy'' () is a 1956 French

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Marc Allégret Marc Allégret (22 December 1900 – 3 November 1973) was a French screenwriter, photographer and film director. Biography Born in Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland, he was the elder brother of Yves Allégret. Marc was educated to be a lawyer in ...

and starring

Daniel Gélin Daniel Yves Alfred Gélin (19 May 1921 – 29 November 2002) was a French film and television actor. Early life Gélin was born in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, the son of Yvonne (née Le Méner) and Alfred Ernest Joseph Gélin. When he was ten, ...

and

Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), 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 Hedonism, hedonistic life ...

. It was also known as ''Mam'selle Striptease'' and ''Please Mr Balzac''. (Also known as "Mademoiselle Striptease" and often confused with 1957 French film "Mademoiselle Strip-tease")

Plot

General Dumont discovers that his daughter Agnes is "A.D.", author of a scandalous under-the-counter novel. He tries to send her to a convent but she escapes to Paris to live with her brother. On the train she meets Daniel, a journalist. Agnes thinks her brother is a rich artist but he's actually a poor guide in the Balzac Museum. Agnes needs money and enters an amateur striptease contest. Daniel is covering the contest for his magazine.

Cast

as Daniel Roy *

as Agnès Dumont * Robert Hirsch as Roger Vital *

Jacques Dumesnil Jacques Dumesnil (born Marie Émile Eugène André Joly; 9 November 1903 – 8 May 1998) was a French film actor, film and television actor. Early life Jacques Dumesnil was born as Marie Émile Eugène André Joly on 9 November 1903, in Paris ...

as General Dumont * Jacques Bouillaud as Himself *

Georges Chamarat Georges Chamarat (30 March 1901 – 21 November 1982) was a French actor. He appeared in more than 100 films and television shows between 1929 and 1981. He starred in the film '' The Adventures of Arsène Lupin'', which was entered into the ...

as Bacchus * Jacques Fervil as Himself *

Jacques Jouanneau Jacques Jouanneau (3 October 1926 – 19 July 2011) was a French actor. He was born in Angers, France. Filmography *1953: '' Capitaine Pantoufle'' - Le barman du Goéland (uncredited) *1954: '' Les Intrigantes'' - Le Reporter (uncredited) *1 ...

as Edouard, Friend of Daniel * Mauricet as Monsieur Valentin * Yves-Marie Maurin as Toto * Madeleine Barbulée as Mme Dumont * Anne Collette as La secrétaire *

Gabrielle Fontan Gabrielle Fontan (16 April 1873 – 8 September 1959) was a French film actress. She appeared in more than 120 films between 1927 and 1959. Selected filmography * '' Misdeal'' (1928) * '' The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard'' (1929) * '' The La ...

as Himself * Luciana Paluzzi as Sophia (as Luciana Paoluzzi) *

Nadine Tallier Nadine de Rothschild (née Nadine Nelly Jeannette Lhopitalier; born 18 April 1932) is a French author and former actress. She is the widow of banker Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild family. Biography Nadine Lhopitalier ...

as Magali *

Darry Cowl Darry Cowl (born André Darricau; 27 August 1925 – 14 February 2006) was a French comedian, actor and musician. He won a César Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2004 for his role as a concierge in '' Pas sur la bouche'' (''Not on ...

as Hubert Dumont

Production

Roger Vadim had just written a movie which launched Bardot as a leading lady, ''Naughty Girl''. He called this movie "a hack job based on an 'original idea' by the producer which was anything but original... I changed the plot and wrote an amusing, romantic and sexy story."

Reception

Box office

In 1956, the film was the 20th most popular of the year, at the French box office. It was released before Bardot's film '' And God Created Woman'', which was the 13th most popular and '' Naughty Girl'' which was 12th.

Critical reception

It was released in the US as ''Mademoiselle Striptease''. The ''Washington Post'' called it "one of the nicest comedies of the summer." The ''Los Angeles Times'' called it "a most delightful, naughty and very funny comedy... Bardot strikes pure gold... it's strictly a fun show that doesn't try to prove a thing." It was also released in the US as ''Please Mr Balzac''. The ''New York Times'' said the "sole excuse for this singularly unfrothy and unfunny romantic comedy is Brigitte Bardot.... thin, old-fashioned, slightly smutty and extremely dull charade... The picture is pretty awful. It needn't have been." In a retrospective review, Turner Classic Movies called it "a typical French romantic comedy... complete with a meet-cute on a train, and plenty of loving shots of Bardot's pert behind.... typical of the suggestive but innocuous films that Bardot made early in her career."''Plucking the Daisy'' at ''Turner Classic Movies Overview ''
/ref>

References

External links

* * {{Roger Vadim 1956 films 1956 comedy films 1950s French films French comedy films Films directed by Marc Allégret French black-and-white films Films scored by Paul Misraki