The 1953 photos of Kirk Douglas and Brigitte Bardot frolicking on the beach — semi-spontaneous, semi-staged — captured the combination of American masculinity and European sexiness that defined post-World War II cinema and were seen around the world. Despite his obvious affection for Bardot, Douglas, then 36, was falling in love with Anne Buydens, then 34, who had just joined Cannes as the head of protocol. In this excerpt from their new joint memoir, Kirk and Anne: Letters of Love, Laughter, and a Lifetime in Hollywood, the pair, who married in 1954, recall meeting in Paris in early 1953 and their time together at Cannes that year.