Louis Malle’s *Viva Maria!* (1965) is a fascinating yet uneven period adventure comedy that encapsulates three defining trends of 1960s European cinema: the Sexual Revolution, the cultural appropriation of American genres such as the Western, and the infusion of radical leftist politics. Set in an unnamed Central American country in 1907, the film stars two of France’s most iconic actresses, Brigitte Bardot and Jean…







