Jean Yatove

Although Brigitte Bardot did record a fair amount of records, although a photo of her is prominently placed on the cover of this CD, and although her name is likewise prominent on the cover, this is not a Brigitte Bardot album. Instead, it's the 1952 soundtrack to her second film, The Girl in the Bikini, for which Jean Yatove composed the music. Bardot herself is just heard in a brief bit of spoken dialogue, just so you're clear what you're getting. Having clarified all that, this is a pretty good, diverse (if uneven) early-'50s soundtrack, though the fidelity isn't great. There are lush, dreamy string-swathed overtures; passages of haunting Mediterranean guitar; eerie, surreal orchestral tones in "Undersea Moods"; and a cinematic orchestral interpretation of "Moorish Oriental." There are interludes of cheesy pseudo-ethnic accents, vaudeville, and chase scene music that did their parts to help reflect what was onscreen, but don't make for pleasant or enjoyable listening. So its appeal is likely limited to very serious soundtrack collectors and Bardot fans, but it does have its merits on its own terms. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide