Quatorze Juillet

The opening shot, in which Périnal's camera cranes sinuously around Meerson's distillation of a Paris quartier to the accompaniment of Jaubert's gently lyrical score (what a team!) is followed by a series of vignettes introducing the principal characters as they prepare for the 14th July festivities. It's lovely but, oh dear, you think, I bet there's going to be a story. In fact, there isn't much of one. Taxi driver Rigaud and flower girl Annabella (emblematic '30s occupations) are lovers. They fall out, spend some time being separately unhappy, until Clair contrives a whimsical reunion for the finale. It's the most Borzage-like of Clair's romances, with such incidents as the death of the heroine's mother lending unaccustomed weight to the proceedings.