The Bear and the Doll

Plot

Felicia, a high spirited woman crashes her car into that of a Gaspard, conservative musician and single dad. Felicia is frustrated that Gaspard doesn't find her attractive and sets out to seduce him.

Cast

Production

The film was inspired by American screwball comedies of the 1930s and was written with Catherine Deneuve in mind. Alain Delon and Jean Paul Belmondo were offered the male lead but turned it down. Filming took place in the summer of 1969.

Reception

The New York Times said that "the maneuverings are mostly the tactics of coy moviemaking here involving several awful child actors, windshield wipers that comment on the action, a huge but gentle dog, a Siamese cat named Prudhomme, and endless little rages between the lovers that define their real affection... Charm is the ingredient that is in singularly short supply in "The Bear and the Doll," largely, I suspect, because Miss Bardot, once a sex kitten, now approaches middle age with all of the grace of a seasoned predator."