Miquette Et Sa Mere (aka Miquette And Her Mother) (1950)

Set at the turn of the 20th century, when the weak willed man (Bourvil) she loves acquiesces to his father's (Saturnin Fabre) demand that he marry another woman, a young girl (Danielle Delorme) accepts his father's offer to go to Paris and become an actress. Based on the 1922 play by Robert De Flers and Gaston Arman De Caillavet (previously filmed in 1934 and 1940) and directed by Henri Georges Clouzot (LE CORBEAU). This was a paycheck job for Clouzot (he was contractually obligated to do the movie) yet it's still a charming romantic comedy and farce. Clouzot uses silent film intertitles and actors breaking the fourth wall to wink at the audience and its quirky characters grow on you. If you love movies about the theatre (as I do) then there's much here to delight you. It's certainly not prime Clouzot but you'd have to be a sourpuss not to give in to its wackiness. With Louis Jouvet, Mireille Perrey and Pierre Olaf.