Le Diable au corps

One of the cornerstones of the cinéma de papa so opportunistically maligned by Truffaut, this solid adaptation (by Aurenche and Bost) of the Raymond Radiguet novel hasn't lost its power to move. While all around celebrate the end of the war in 1918, a schoolboy (Philipe) remembers his impossible affair with an older married woman (Presle), from whose funeral he is barred. Autant-Lara unfortunately overplays some of his stylistic devices (such as the slowed-down sound that announces each flashback), but for the main part he elicits sensitive performances from his leads, and the smoky photography and sets evoke a unique period atmosphere.