Despite having read praise for his adaptation of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None,I've somehow found the chance to see a title from René Clair to always escape me.Talking to a DVD seller,I found out that they had recently gotten hold of a fantasy movie by Clair,which led to me getting ready to meet the beauties of the night.The plot:Dreaming of writing a magical opera, composer Claude finds his ideas to be interrupted by the rude kids he is trying to teach music to.Giving up on ever becoming a highly praised composer,Claude decides to live out his desires in his dreams,which leap from Claude being the leader of the French Revolution,to catching the eye of women who look just look the girls Claude fancies in real life.Annoyed by the real world interruptions,Claude looks for ways to keep the real world out,and to keep his dreams flowing. View on the film:Believing that "sound" undermined the style which had developed in Silent Cinema,the screenplay by co-writer/(along with Pierre Barillet/Jean-Pierre Grédy & Gian Luigi Rondi) director René Clair delivers sly,satirical shots with this belief,by blocking Claude from being able to express himself,as loud "modern day" sounds drown out Claude's attempts to make his voice heard.Jumping from real life to the dream world,the writers thread a dazzling patchwork,that hops from wild flight of Fantasy to hilarious mad-cap Comedy-with added catchy songs,in a manner which makes Claude's world a joy to enter.Blending the real and surreal together,director Clair & cinematographer Armand Thirard weave spectacular "in camera" spells making Claude go from a dusty pub to taking on cavemen (!) appear as ultra-stylish, continuous shots. Bringing Claude's desires to vivid life, Clair makes Claude's dream girls look ravishingly beautiful,via smooth circling tracking shots making them each stand out of the desert of Claude's dream.Meeting Claude in both worlds,the elegant Magali Vendeuil gives a superb performance as Suzanne,whose caring side Vendeuil brings out as Suzanne tries to channel Claude's imagination into reality.Joyfully entering every lightning fast dream spot, Gérard Philipe gives an excellent performance as Claude,via Philipe hitting everything with an irresistible wide smile,as Claude discovers the beauties of the night.

Gérard Philippe is, as ever, great to watch and one is constantly reminded of what a great loss it was that he should have died of a heart attack in 1959 at the comparatively young age of 37.Otherwise, it is a rather pointless and wishful movie that ultimately saps the musician/artist portrayed by Philippe of any sympathy the public might still have for him. The script appears to go all over the place and one is never sure whether the screenwriter actually sat down and thought it through or just typed it all in one sitting. As for the director, René Clair cannot have been too personally involved if he allowed such a shoddy job to be the result.I love French culture, and French films and music in particular, but I am afraid this is a most disappointing specimen that -- for its sins -- even manages to suffer from pretentiousness.I must make it clear that my views on this film have nothing to do with the reviews of Leonard Maltin or anyone else. The movie is so poor that even some great visual moments and Philippe's bravura performance cannot rescue it (though they earn it my very kind 6).

This film is highly recommended for those people who have an appreciation of an elusive quality called charm. Charm is in short supply in today's cinema be it French, American or other. Charm is difficult to define, but you know it when you see it. The daydreams of a young composer may seem like a frivolous topic, but an actor of the caliber of Gérard Philipe make it all seem so worthwhile. The essence of the story, for me anyway, is the collision between dream and reality - our hero is constantly reminded of how ordinary life is, how unsatisfying compared to his luscious fantasies. He is constantly brought crashing down to earth. But these scenes are precisely the funniest ones. I recall especially the scene in the classroom where the kids mock him to death - how humiliating, but still it's hilarious.Gérard Philipe said that the director René Clair left nothing to chance. Every tiny detail, every nuance was carefully thought out in advance. The greatest problem for René Clair was that of rhythm. Apparently they were always trying to shorten certain scenes by a few seconds in order to heighten the comic effect. One of the greatest of all directors and an actor of unquestioned skill, conscientiousness and charm collaborate on an effort that reminds us of what French culture used to be. It may seem dated or even corny to some, but I hope that for others it serves as an image of cultural values that will not be seen again.

The protagonist's situation is similar to Walter Mitty's, expect that his fantasies are not waking ones, but rather, occur when he drops off to sleep, and they don't always go the way he'd have them go. The device of dream narratives shows Clair's fidelity to his surrealist roots, especially during the dream debut of the main character's "opera". I was surprised at how low other users rated this film, but I guess it's in keeping with Maltin's opinion that Clair's films after WWII were not up to his prewar standards. Ignorance is bliss, I guess: I thought it was great! Perhaps the character development is somewhat superficial, but the film is funny and fast-paced, with good production values and appealing principals.