From Cinecittà to the Victorine Studios: Three Icons, One Riviera Myth

 

In Nice, a new exhibition brings together Brigitte Bardot, Mylène Demongeot, and Michèle Mercier—three stars whose lives and careers became inseparable from the French Riviera’s golden age.

The French Riviera has always been more than a backdrop. It is a myth-making machine, a place where cinema, glamour, and freedom collided to create enduring legends. This summer in Nice, that mythology takes center stage once again with “The Little Darlings of the French Riviera,” a new exhibition devoted to Brigitte Bardot, Mylène Demongeot, and Michèle Mercier—three actresses whose destinies are forever intertwined with the Côte d’Azur.

Unveiled this past Saturday at the Lympia Departmental Cultural Center, the exhibition was opened by writer and curator Henry-Jean Servat, who frames the project as both a celebration and a reckoning. Running until April 12, 2026, the exhibition invites visitors to revisit a world of sun-soaked cinema, audacious femininity, and creative freedom—while acknowledging the distance between that era and today.

After previous tributes in Saint-Tropez and Villefranche-sur-Mer, Brigitte Bardot once again finds herself at the heart of a Riviera homage. But this time, she is not alone. Placed alongside Demongeot and Mercier, Bardot became part of a trio that collectively shaped the region’s cinematic identity—from international co-productions and Italian studios like Cinecittà to the legendary Victorine Studios in Nice.

Each woman represents a distinct facet of Riviera stardom. Bardot, the global symbol of liberated sensuality, transformed Saint-Tropez into an international icon. Mylène Demongeot, with her wit and cosmopolitan charm, bridged popular cinema and European sophistication. Michèle Mercier, immortalized by Angélique, embodied romantic adventure and historical fantasy, exporting a distinctly French glamour worldwide.

Described as an exhibition with “the allure of forbidden fruit and the scent of paradise lost,” The Little Darlings of the French Riviera does not indulge in simple nostalgia. Instead, it reflects on how these women navigated fame, desire, and public scrutiny at a time when the Riviera functioned as a laboratory for modern celebrity. Their images—sunlit, carefree, and endlessly reproduced—helped define an era, but also masked the personal costs of stardom.

Firmly rooted in the present, the exhibition invites a contemporary audience to reconsider what the Riviera represented then—and what it represents now. In revisiting these three careers side by side, it becomes clear that the French Riviera was not merely a setting, but an active force: shaping roles, amplifying mythologies, and projecting French cinema onto the world stage.

At Lympia, the past feels tantalizingly close. Not frozen in time, but alive—glimmering between memory and reality, just like the Riviera itself.

Princess Stéphanie Sets the Record Straight

 

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco has put an end to speculation about her future, firmly denying any plans to step back from public life. In an interview with Gala magazine, she clarified comments that had sparked rumors of retirement and reaffirmed her unwavering commitment to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Recently promoted to Commander of the Order of Cultural Merit on November 18—an honor presented by her sister, Princess of Hanover, at the Prince’s Palace—Princess Stéphanie spoke candidly about her role and responsibilities. Marking World AIDS Day on December 1, the president of Fight Aids Monaco reflected on more than two decades of advocacy.

Founded in 2004, Fight Aids Monaco remains at the heart of her work. “I use my public profile to advance the fight against AIDS and to challenge the discrimination that still surrounds this disease,” she told Gala. “Without that visibility, my voice would not be heard in the same way.”

La Fleur du Cap: The Riviera Villa That Became David Niven’s Home

 

For anyone that has walked on the seaside trail from Beaulieu-sur-Mer along the rocky edge of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, where the Mediterranean laps directly against stone terraces and the light seems permanently cinematic, stands a villa that quietly encapsulates more than a century of Riviera history.

Today known as La Fleur du Cap, the residence is best remembered as the long-time home of British actor David Niven, whose charm and wit were as much a part of the Côte d’Azur’s postwar glamour as the sea itself.

From Olive Groves to Belle Époque Retreat

The villa’s story begins in 1880, when Alfred Bounin, a Nice olive-oil merchant, purchased a small rocky promontory on the Cap-Ferrat shoreline. He built a modest waterfront house he named Lo Scoglietto—Italian for “the little rock.” Unlike the grand hillside villas of the era, this home embraced the sea directly, complete with a private landing point and bathing cabin connected by a narrow footbridge.

Over time, the house was gradually expanded, evolving from a simple seaside retreat into a refined Belle Époque villa that mirrored the rising prestige of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat itself.

 

A Magnet for High Society and Royalty

By the early 20th century, Lo Scoglietto had become a coveted address among Europe’s elite. In the 1920s, it was rented by Consuelo Vanderbilt, Duchess of Marlborough, one of the most famous—and famously reluctant—American heiresses to marry into British aristocracy.

Its reputation only grew. In the 1950s, the villa served as a temporary residence for King Leopold III of Belgium shortly before his abdication, reinforcing its status as a discreet haven for royalty seeking privacy on the Riviera.

Hollywood Arrives on the Cap

The villa’s cinematic chapter began in earnest in 1956, when Charlie Chaplin spent a summer there with his family. Photographs from the period show the silent-film legend enjoying the rocky shoreline and relaxed pace of Cap-Ferrat life—a striking contrast to the global fame he carried with him.

David Niven’s Riviera Years

The most defining era of the villa began in the early 1960s, when David Niven acquired the property. By then, Niven was one of Britain’s most beloved screen actors, known for his impeccable manners, dry humor, and an Academy Award–winning performance in Separate Tables.

Niven would live at the villa for over two decades, making it his primary European home. Far from retreating from society, he became an integral part of local life—walking into the village, playing pétanque, frequenting cafés, and entertaining friends that included actors, aristocrats, and figures from nearby Monaco.

The villa also made a rare on-screen appearance in 1983, when scenes from Trail of the Pink Panther were filmed there. The film became one of Niven’s final screen roles, permanently linking the house to his cinematic legacy.

A Lasting Tribute

Following Niven’s death in 1983, the village of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat honored him by naming the small square in front of the villa Place David Niven—a rare tribute that reflects how deeply he was appreciated not just as a star, but as a neighbor.

In later years, the property was carefully restored and expanded while remaining a private residence. Though its footprint has grown, the villa has retained its defining relationship with the sea—still appearing to rise directly from the Mediterranean.

In subsequent years, the villa was restored and expanded. In the late 20th century it was acquired by Ana Tzarev and Robert Chandler and lovingly maintained as a private residence.

Today, La Fleur du Cap stands as a discreet landmark of Riviera history: a house shaped by merchants, royalty, silent-film legends, and one of Britain’s most effortlessly elegant actors.

France Moves to Simplify Residency: Automatic Renewal for Long-Term Carte de Séjour Holders

 

For many foreigners living in France, few things inspire as much low-level dread as the residency renewal cycle. The appointments are booked months in advance, the prefecture paperwork, the uncertainty of waiting—sometimes for weeks or even months—just to receive a new card. That ritual may soon become a thing of the past for a large group of residents.

The French parliament has passed a bill that would make the renewal of long-term cartes de séjour automatic, a reform widely seen as a practical and long-overdue modernization of France’s immigration administration.

What’s changing?

Under the new legislation, foreigners who already hold long-term residency permits—such as multi-year or long-term cartes de séjour—will no longer be required to repeatedly prove their eligibility each time their card expires, provided their situation has not changed.

In practical terms, this means:

• No more routine renewal appointments for eligible long-term residents

• No repeated submission of the same documents year after year

• No risk of falling out of legal status due to administrative delays

The reform recognizes a simple reality: if someone has lived legally in France for many years, paid taxes, worked or retired legally, and complied with residency rules, forcing them through the same bureaucratic loop serves little purpose.

Who benefits most?

The biggest winners are long-term foreign residents who are already well integrated into French life, including:

• Retirees who renew the same permit again and again

• Professionals on long-term contracts

• Family members of French citizens or permanent residents

• Foreigners who have lived in France continuously for many years

For these groups, the change removes one of the most persistent sources of stress associated with life in France: administrative uncertainty.

Why now?

French prefectures have been under enormous strain in recent years. Backlogs, staff shortages, and the digitization of procedures—often unevenly implemented—have made residency renewals increasingly slow and frustrating.

By making renewals automatic for long-term residents, the government aims to:

• Reduce pressure on prefectures

• Free up administrative resources for first-time applicants and complex cases

• Bring France more in line with other European countries that already treat long-term residency as stable status rather than a recurring test

In short, it’s a move toward efficiency—and common sense.

What this does not mean

Automatic renewal does not mean a free-for-all. Authorities will still retain the right to review or revoke residency permits in cases involving:

• Serious criminal convictions

• Fraud or misrepresentation

• Loss of eligibility (such as prolonged absence from France)

The reform is about eliminating unnecessary repetition, not removing oversight entirely.

A small change with a big impact

For foreigners who have built their lives in France, this reform is more than administrative housekeeping—it’s a signal of trust and recognition. It acknowledges that long-term residents are not temporary guests endlessly on probation, but stable members of French society.

If fully implemented as intended, automatic renewal of long-term cartes de séjour could quietly become one of the most popular quality-of-life reforms for foreigners in France in years—saving time, reducing stress, and letting people focus on living their lives rather than managing paperwork.

The text will now move on to the Senate for review.