Eclipse Series 45: Claude Autant-Lara: Four Romantic Escapes From Occupied France (Criterion Collection)

A free-spirited young aristocrat (Odette Joyeux) finds her mother (Suzanne Dantès) pushing for her betrothal to a nobleman soldier (André Luguet), though her heart belongs to her stepfather’s struggling brother (Jacques Dumesnil), in "Le Mariage de Chiffon" (1942). In the mid-19th century, a young postmistress (Joyeux) comes to regret agreeing to be the go-between for romantic correspondence to the local prefect’s wife (Simone Renant). "Lettres d’Amour" (1942) also stars François Périer, Jean Debucourt. A countess’s granddaughter (Joyeux) nurtures an impossible love for the family estate manager (Roger Pigaut), and her callous governess (Madeleine Robinson) is all too ready to drive their class differences home. "Douce" (1943) co-stars Debucort, Marguerite Moreno. Tired of the fascination that his daughter Sylvie (Joyeux) has with the portrait of her ancestor’s lover Alain, a baron (Pierre Larquey) hires an actor to play his ghost--and that doesn’t sit well with Alain’s actual spirit (Jacques Tati)! "Sylvie et le Fantome" (1946) co-stars Périer, Jean Desailly. 7 hrs. total on four discs. Standard; Soundtrack: French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English. In French with English subtitles.