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P: Made more attractive by the subtle charms of condemnation, And God Created Woman, starring French Cineminx Brigitte Bardot in search of a bed-partner, seemed to be moving in for the biggest box-office killing ever made by a foreign film in the U.S. Rated "Condemned" by the Roman Catholic National Legion of Decency, the French-made movie has already grossed $1,500,000 from a scant 175 bookings, will possibly take in as much as $4,000,000. Biggest effect is on many of the so-called art theaters, which normally run a picture for two or three weeks, have been all Woman for upwards of three months. With half a dozen of her pictures now playing in the U.S., bosomy, frankly erotic Brigitte Bardot may all but monopolize U.S. art theaters.

P: The Old Man and the Sea, beset by troubles since Warner Bros, began filming it, finally got into the can. Scheduled for release next August, The Old Man was originally budgeted at $2,100,000, ended up costing an estimated $5,000,000.

What happened?

1) A large and expensive crew, sent to Cuba to shoot the bulk of the picture, stayed on and on, brought back very little usable footage.

2) Director Fred Zinnemann, buffeted between the temperaments of Star Spencer Tracy and Author Ernest Hemingway, quit, was replaced by John Sturges.

3) An expedition led by Hemingway and costing Warner about $100,000 went to Peruvian waters to hunt for a black marlin big enough for the script, hooked nothing suitable.*

4) Finding sharks to attack the big marlin's carcass turned out to be harder in fact than fiction, but, after suspending cinematographers in sharkproof cages in various parts of the Caribbean, suitable budget-eating footage was obtained.

5) A special jaunt to Hawaii was made for proper sea and sky effects.

6) A near football-field-sized tank had to be built on the Warner lot in Hollywood for closeups.

7) Matters came full circle with another trip to Cuba for fill-in shots.

Result: Producer Leland Hayward, whose Spirit of St. Louis ate up its budget and turned out to be a financial disappointment, seemed to have done it again: The Old Man will have to gross some $10 million before it clears a penny.

* The footage finally used was of a leaping, tail-walking giant marlin hooked and fought by Big-Game Fisherman Alfred C. Glassell Jr. of Houston.

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