Description

Too often overlooked after his work was spurned by the New Wave iconoclasts as being part of the “tradition of quality,” Claude Autant-Lara was one of France’s leading directors of the 1940s and ’50s. He began as a set and costume designer and went on to direct French-language versions of comedies in Hollywood, but it was back in his home country that Autant-Lara came into his own as a filmmaker. He found his sophisticated and slyly subversive voice with these four romances, produced during the dark days of the German occupation. Sumptuously appointed even while being critical of class hierarchy, these films—all made with the same corps of collaborators, including the charmingly impetuous star Odette Joyeux—endure as a testament to the quick wit and exquisite visual sense of the director whose name they established. Collector's Set Includes

• Le mariage de Chiffon. This delightful comedy brought Claude Autant-Lara his first popular success as a director. Chiffon is being pushed by her mother to wed a dashing military officer but finds herself drawn to her stepfather’s penniless brother.
• Lettres d’amour. A transporting period piece with ornate costumes by Christian Dior, Lettres d’amour paints a blithely pointed portrait of life in a highly stratified society.
• Douce. Elegantly shot, Douce is a dizzying romantic roundelay that contains a biting critique of France’s rigid social order. This film, which ultimately takes a tragic turn, found Claude Autant-Lara in full command of his craft.
• Sylvie et le fantôme. With this film, conceived during the occupation and released after the war, Claude Autant-Lara entered the realm of pure fantasy, marrying a playful script, artful special effects, and wistful performances.