L'Amour, Madame (1952)
Directed by Gilles Grangier

Film Review

Not one of the most memorable films in the careers of François Périer or Arletty, L'Amour, Madame nonetheless has some charm on account of the indefinable chemistry between these two stars of French cinema.  It's a happy reunion, presumably since Arletty starred in the first two films in which Périer appeared, namely Jean Boyer's La Chaleur du sein (1938) and Marcel Carné's Hôtel du nord (1938).  At 32, Périer is patently too old to be convincing as a gauche young college boy, but Arletty is as stunning as ever, looking delightfully warm and approachable as she plays herself.  Without these two superb performers, the film would be virtually unbearable, and, as it is, it is one of Gilles Grangier's weakest comedies. Based on the play Vingt ans, Madame! by Félix Gandéra and Claude Gével, L'Amour, Madame is a pedestrian offering in the A Star is Born line, its implausible, ill-conceived plot aggravated by a lacklustre script and some stilted direction from Grangier.  Guest appearances from Marcel Achard, Yvonne de Bray, Danièle Delorme and Jean Marais (among others) look like a pointless embellishment to the most facile of comedies.

Film Synopsis

François Célerier is a young university student who hopes to make his name as a playwright.  He is attracted to fellow student Diane, but he is too shy to approach her and reveal his true feelings for her.  On the train to Juan-les-Pins, where he intends to visit his mother, François is put in the enviable position of having to share his compartment with the film star Arletty, who is on her way to the Venice Film Festival.  By hanging around Arletty's beachside hotel, François convinces his friends that he is having an affair with her.  Flattered by the young man's attentions, the actress agrees to play the lead role when his first play is performed...