Bardot, a life dedicated to animals: the turning point in 1973 during the filming of the film «Colinot trousse-chemise»

The world of cinema says goodbye to Brigitte Bardot, who died on December 28 at 91. Yet she, an iconic French actress with a non-conformist style, had already said goodbye to the big screen in 1973, when at the height of her career she decided to abandon the set to dedicate herself to animals.

A watershed year, which divides his life into two phases: on the one hand the appearances in magazines (first of all the one on Ellewhich in 1950 attracted the attention of Marc Allégret, famous director and screenwriter) and the cinema (success on the big screen was marked by the naked film «Et Dieu… créa la femme», in 1956); on the other, however, his love for animals and, above all, his commitment to protecting them. Battle after battle, until the creation of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animalswith the aim of supporting causes and the work of animal rights associations, and to which he leaves his entire legacy today.

But, as much as she herself after 1973 has having repeatedly declared that she had “occasionally difficulty believing that she was that Brigitte Bardot”, she has never denied her past. This is because the love for animals has always permeated his existence. Even when he was in front of the camera, in fact, he tried to protect them, sometimes “using” his fame to draw attention to issues that were often underestimated.

And so it had already taken sides at the beginning of the 1960s against intensive farming, denouncing the cruelty that took place in slaughterhouses. In particular, in 1962, she urged public opinion against the use of electric guns for killing and chose to become a vegetarian. Then, in 1967, she was received at the Elysée by the then French president Charles de Gaulle. And it seems that precisely during this meeting Bardot obtained from the government the right – recognized only a few years later – to “stun before slaughter”.

But there is an episode, shrouded in a legendary veil (never reported publicly, but told by her to several people), which is linked to her change of life: the encounter with a goat on the set of the film «Colinot trousse-chemise», in 1973. On that occasion, according to the stories, the owner of the animal pushed to speed up the filming times which saw the goat as the protagonist. The reason was that the little animal would have to finish its work by the following Sunday, because on that date the first communion of the lady’s nephew was scheduled and, therefore, it had to be cooked. Having heard her fate, Bardot did not hesitate to buy the goat, saving it.

Truth or legend, that was his last film: the actress bid farewell to the stage, dedicating herself exclusively to animals. So, in 1977, he launched a campaign against the hunting of seal pups in Greenland. Invited by Paul Watson, the then president of Sea Shepherd Conservation Societyheaded to Canada on the Blanc-Sablon glaciers. On this occasion she put her fame to the service of the cause, having herself photographed in the Gulf of Saint-Laurent embracing the seal pups destined to be massacred with three harpoon shots. The photos, now iconic, went around the world, obtaining what Bardot declared was “one of the few victories I have had”: the ban on hunting specimens born a few days old.

In 1986 the decisive turning point: the French actress established the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the Welfare and Protection of Animals. In 1988 he also chose to return to television. But always and only for furry people: he hosted a program entitled Animal carewhich aired from 1989 to 1992 with the aim of bringing the cruelty suffered by animals to the small screen. Meanwhile, he continued to raise funds: in 1991, in addition to jewels and personal objects, he donated his villa in Saint Tropez, La Madragueto the foundation to raise the capital necessary to obtain a declaration of public utility, which was granted on 21 February 1992 by the Council of State. And so, year after year, it has managed to contribute to the creation of shelters for elephants in South Africa, koalas in Australia, dancing bears in Bulgaria and primates in Cameroon, also reintroducing animal species that have disappeared in Senegal and participating in the reintroduction of wolves in the Alps. But not only that: it has also created a shelter for dogs and cats, recently launched a campaign against hippophagia and the use of fur, as well as supported the veterinarian Massimo Vacchetta for his hedgehog recovery center in the province of Cuneo.

An unparalleled commitment, that “Today, a great woman leaves us, even before being a great actress, who after retiring from the stage, for fifty years, dedicated her life to the protection of animals throughout the world: her example is and will always remain an inspiration for all of us who fight, every day, to defend the most defenseless”, is the memory of Michela Vittoria Brambilla, president of the Italian League for Animal Defense and the Environment and of the parliamentary intergroup for Animal Rights and Environmental Protection. «His strenuous commitment is also responsible for the laws that have modified the civil code and the penal code in an animal rights sense – added Brambilla -. His example remains indelible among those who love and respect animals. He has always inspired my battles.”