Caroline chérie

Very French in being both earthy and romantic, poetic and erotic, Caroline Cherie is a handsomely shot shaggy dog story and tragi-comic romance set in the thick of the French revolution, the 'Candide'-like tale of a spoilt young aristocratic girl suffering greater and greater indignities and deprivations during the Reign of Terror. Production values are excellent and the black & white photography is inventive and beautiful. Some shots reminded me of The Third Man, which of course was made around the same time.

What most stand out today are the occasional glimpses of the nude body of lead actress Martine Carol, which would have been unthinkable in any British or American film of the same era, but here they just seem a part of the story along with everything else.

It's not a first rate film - the witty characters never take on enough weight and depth, and it's a little too slow-paced and long - but it's a delightful confection to exist and certainly worth checking out, even if only the once.

6.7/10.