Le château de verre

This bittersweet offering from René Clément comes between his acclaimed 'Au-dela des Grilles' and ''Jeux Interdits' and is adapted from the novel 'Do we ever know?' by Vicki Baum. The film's title refers to the fragility of the love that has no future between the playboy Rémi of Jean Marais and the married Evelyne of Michele Morgan.

Having already worked together in 'Aux Yeux du Souvenir' for Jean Delannoy, the simpatico/chemistry between Marais and Morgan is palpable and they are complemented perfectly by the fascinating Elina Labourdette as his titular mistress Marion and in the role of Evelyne's husband, the always good value Jean Servais, both of whose characters contribute a distinct 'edge' to proceedings.

It is beautifully shot by Robert Lefebvre and Clément has used the flash forward technique to insert a fragment of the future into the present which was most unusual for the time and which audiences found somewhat disconcerting.

Although a minor entry in this director's oeuvre this has an undeniably haunting quality not to mention an elegance and finesse which belong alas to a vanished era.