Clair's, but it is an authentic one..."; "This film is absolutely enchanting... There is some wonderful slapstick... It must be admitted that this is not the best work of René Clair, and because of this many may be disappointed with the occasionally flagging dialogue and slowing up of the tempo". In the US, the film did poor business with the public, possibly hampered by the experiment with a hybrid-language version. The critic of The New York Times said, "He has treated a rather small idea in a small and generally unimaginative way, and the only faint touch of irony in it is a typical 'happy ending', well contrived." Clair himself, while retaining an affection for the film, admitted to some shortcomings, particularly in respect of a certain heaviness in the exposition of the opening scenes. For the resolution of the story, he felt that he had not satisfied the maxim that "the public must always be surprised by what it expects". He also expressed reservations about the prominence of dialogue especially in a film which both characters and setting explored the virtues of silence: "I am convinced that in a work for the cinema the dialogue should have no more importance than it has in a novel, and that it is always more worthwhile to express oneself with images than with words." Awards 1947 Locarno International Film Festival Won: Golden Leopard Won: Best Direction Award 1948 French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Won: Prix Méliès References Bibliography External links 1947 films 1947 romantic comedy films 1940s historical comedy films 1940s historical romance films American black-and-white films American historical comedy films American historical romance films American romantic comedy films Films about filmmaking Films directed by René Clair Films set in the 1900s Films set in Paris Films shot at Joinville Studios French black-and-white films French historical comedy films French historical romance films 1940s French-language films French romantic comedy films Golden Leopard winners Pathé films 1940s American films 1940s French films