Main Cast: Odette Joyeux, Marguerite Moreno, Roger Pigaut, Jean Debucourt, Madeleine Robinson
Release Year: 1943
Country: FR
Run Time: 90 minutes
Plot
Filmed in 1943, Autant-Lara's Douce (English title: Love Story) made it to American screens six years later. Overshadowed by his later works, Douce nonetheless has much to offer for the director's legions of devotees. The title character, played by Odette Joyeaux, is a young girl of wealth growing up in her lavish family estate in the late 19th century. Douce is hopelessly in love with the estate's much-older manager Fabien Marani (Roger Pigaut). Her starry-eyed illusions are ripe for shattering, and Douce's insanely jealous governess (Madeline Robinson) is just the person to do this "service." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
If Douce cannot quite compare with director Claude Autant-Lara's finest films (e.g., Le Diable au Corps or L'Auberge Rouge), it still stands as a very good, extremely involving example of French cinema struggling to survive during the stultifying Nazi occupation. Indeed, one can easily draw parallels to the socially imprisoned lives of its main characters and the occupation of France, although Douce does not really stand up under close examination in this light. Its real strength is in the way that Autant-Lara has so perfectly captured a quintet of disparate figures and woven their destinies into a tight, interconnected, romantic tragedy. The director even pushes in a little satire along the way, giving the film a lovely range of textures. He is helped by the atmospheric cinematography of Philippe Agostini, whose camera captures startling candle-lit images throughout. Even more important are the contributions of his cast, especially Odette Joyeux in the title role. The actress captivates from beginning to end, taking a character that could come across as a tiresome adolescent and fleshing her out so that the viewer cares greatly about her predicament. Madeleine Robinson and Marguerite Moreno also provide carefully etched, mesmerizing performances, the latter especially memorable in the "Christmas visitation" sequence. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
