Sylvie et le fantôme

Odette Joyeux is about to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. He father has sold the painting of her grandmother's lover, but has left the ghost and his hunting dog behind, played by Jacques Tati -- the ghost, not the dog. Mlle Joyeux believes in the ghost, but no one else does. Nonetheless, her father has sent to the local talent agency for a man to play the ghost. Three show up: an old trouper, and two young men, who both fall in love with the girl. The ghost does his best to make sure she chooses the right one.

There's a nice subtext in this movie about the fantasizing that a girl does when she becomes a woman. That is, after all, what fantasy is about: permitting us to consider matters in a symbolic fashion that insulates us from the pain. Director Claude Autant-Lara handles the effects in a simple manner that allows the audience to enjoy the silliness of the situation and yet still consider the serious side.