‘Please, Not Now!’ Blu-Ray Review – Brigitte Bardot Dazzles With Her Wit & Beauty

Brigitte Bardot, playful sex kitten of the 1960s French cinema, stars in this madcap romantic comedy, seen through the fetishizing lens of Roger Vadim (Barbarella, …And God Created Woman). When Sophie, a photographer’s model (Bardot), is jilted by her boyfriend (Jacques Riberolles), she becomes convinced she is the victim of a family curse and takes shotgun in hand to eliminate her romantic rival (Joséphine James). Meanwhile, a young bachelor (Michel Subor) attempts to defuse Sophie’s rage and win the slightly demented blonde for himself. Borrowing from the commedia all’italiana and nouvelle vague, Please, Not Now! (La bride sur le cou) is a cinematic delight, flavored with clever sight gags, exotic locations, and laced with sexual innuendo.

For thoughts on Please, Not Now!, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/yU3bl8Lufgs?si=rmGG4kLe00uJgxBJ&t=2180]

Video Quality

Please, Not Now! makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a 1080p transfer that is not listed as being from a new scan, but ultimately looks quite good. There are occasional instances of faint nicks and scratches, but this source has been maintained well. The black-and-white photography shot by Robert Lefebvre sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact and resolved well. Black levels are pretty deep with no egregious occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is capably defined, and the track only experiences intermittent instances of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. You can easily spot a strong amount of detail present when it comes to textures on the clothing, the environments, and within the production design. The new transfer shows off a grand amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Kino Classics has provided an ideal viewing experience.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a deftly executed DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original French that serves this movie well. A few fleeting instances present with a minor amount of age-related wear and tear, but overall there is not much to ruin the experience here. Even the jaunty score sounds full of life, and it works in harmony with the dialogue and other important information. The environmental effects are delineated effectively from one another. Kino Classics has served up exactly what the film needs. There are optional English subtitles included for the feature film. 

Special Features

• Audio Commentary: Film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas delivers an informative commentary track in which she talks about how this film fits into the filmography of Brigitte Bardot, offers background on her career and her relationship with director Roger Vadim, delves into the tone of the material, the dark history behind the production, and more.

• Trailers: There is a minute-and-a-half-long trailer for Please, Not Now! is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Please, Not Now! is a breezy comedy that finds Brigitte Bardot gamely tackling some fun set pieces with irresistible talent. The film is titillating without being exploitative, and there are even moments when it wades into the realm of the surreal. The delicate balance between highbrow and lowbrow is achieved with great skill, allowing this one to be a true delight. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a strong A/V presentation and an informative commentary track. If you are a fan of the star, or simply intrigued by the story, this one is worth your time. Recommended 

Please, Not Now! is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.