Adorable Creatures

I have enjoyed many Christian-Jaque films, among them La chartreuse de Parme, Les disparus de Saint-Agil, Fanfan la Tulipe. Coming to Adorables creatures, I expected to find a capable director who handles actors well, but not a master like Renoir or Carne. The three segments shown here are a good display of the talents of Edwige Feuillere, Danielle Darrieux, Martine Carol (who would go on to play Lola Montes in Ophuls's masterpiece), Renee Faure and Daniel Gelin as the boy-toy.

The best story is that of rich woman Feuillere and her servant Faure with whom she is carrying on a sort of sado-masochistic relationship. Blackmail and resentment are in the forefront here, and the acting really crackles. The young Antonella Lualdi has a poorly conceived part as an impetuous girl who we don't take much interest in.