Rating: NR
Genre:
Comedy
Theatrical Release: 11/22/1965(France),
Release Date: 04/05/2005
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol
Dubbed: French
Sound: DD1/DD2
Run Time: 117 Minutes
Flags: Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Humor
Distributor/Studio: MGM
Two of the most beautiful women in the European cinema of the 1960s --
Brigitte Bardot and
Jeanne Moreau -- team up under the direction of
Louis Malle in this engaging
comedy/
adventure.
Maria Fitzgerald O'Malley (
Bardot) is the daughter of an Irish political dissident who has traveled to Latin America with her father to take part in an anarchist political uprising. When her father is killed,
Maria, left to her own devices, happens upon a traveling circus, where she strikes up a friendship with one of the performers, also named
Maria (
Moreau).
Maria O'Malley joins up with the carnival, and she works up a dance routine with
Maria; the act is a smash hit, especially after the Irish
Maria accidentally loses part of her costume during a performance. Despite their success, the two Marias find themselves increasingly distressed with the poverty and brutality of the peasants' lives, and they soon decide to use their talents in support of revolutionary leader
Flores (
George Hamilton).
Viva Maria!'s original ending was trimmed slightly for its American release, but the complete version was later released in the United States on DVD.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide