French-born film director Roger Vadim (1928-2000) broke ground in the 1950s by pushing the boundaries of mainstream European art films to include more sensuality. Vadim became more renowned for the female actors he cast in his lushly photographed films than for his technical and artistic achievements, but he is credited with being one of the early instigators of the French New Wave.

Vadim's first film, And God Created Woman, released in 1955, caused a scandal. It featured Vadim's first wife, Brigitte Bardot, partially nude and sexually engaged with three different men. The film's subject matter, titillating use of sexuality, and the beauty of stars Bardot, Curt Jurgens, Christian Marquand, and Jean-Louis Trintignant assured the film's success internationally. And God Created Woman established the French "art film" as a 1950s euphemism for movies featuring nude scenes. After his divorce from Bardot, Vadim continued to employ Bardot in several films that...