La Nuit fantastique

Better known for his silent films, L'Herbier here essayed a wartime escapist fantasy. A young man (Gravey) prefers his dream world to daytime reality, where he pursues his obsession, a mysterious goddess in white named Irène (Presle), who inhabits a small surreal world dominated by her father, a conjuror (Fabre). As in Woody Allen's Purple Rose of Cairo, the dreamer remains conscious of his edifying fiction, preferring it to reality. A bit rough around the edges: let's call it a semi-precious jewel.