he overall ambiguity of the film and its refusal to make judgements mark it as ahead of its time, while the cast are first-rate, particularly Seberg, veering between impishly mischievous and spookily sinister.
Comment
05/24/03
Bonjour Tristesse (1958)
85
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:13
Fresh:11
Rotten:2
Average Rating:6.7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Set on the French Riviera, Otto Preminger's film concerns a wealthy Frenchman (David Niven) who openly cavorts with his mistress, under the watchful eye of his 17-year-old daughter, Cecile. Cecile... [More]
Starring: David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Jean Seberg, Geoffrey Horne
Director: Otto Preminger
Reviews for Bonjour Tristesse
1 - 13 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
Top CriticThe flirtation with incest at the centre of this adaptation of Françoise Sagan's novel is tame by modern standards, but the evil scheming of Seberg as the daughter set on separating her father and his mistress is still forceful.
06/24/06
Top CriticHollywood soap opera at its best, nicely done and still entertaining after many decades.
01/01/00
A bomb.
03/25/06
Top CriticAmong favorite cinephile pet auteurs, no one’s reputation has had a rougher ride than that of Otto Preminger’s.
12/08/03
Arguably, this is Preminger's masterpiece.
01/01/00
Misunderstood at the time and still underappreciated, this 1958 glossy melodrama improves on Sagan's French novella, displaying Preminger's best qualities as auteur, moral ambiguity, detached, nonjudgmental approach, not to mention smooth visuals.
07/14/09
While some may be put off by Preminger's glossy presentation of the idle rich, his direction in Bonjour Tristesse engages the mind while it stimulates the senses.
01/09/04
Has a glacial tone that gets covered with a lobster red French Riviera sunburn.
12/16/07
Script deficiencies and awkward reading -- some lines are spoken as though just that -- have static results.
10/23/07
Top CriticKerr, of course, is a standout talent in spite of script deficiencies, and Demongeot plays the role of a silly blonde well. The Riviera scenes are rich in eye appeal and Kerr's chic costuming by Givenchy adds another plus.
10/23/07
Top CriticNo review available.
08/22/03
No review available.
12/23/02
1 - 13 (sorted by critic A-Z; UK critics are listed first)
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