Muuan hymy

Francoise Sagan's novel, tailor-made for sunbathers on the Riviera, has been adapted into the kind of schoolgirl-romantic movie the book deserves. French law student in Paris, a petite lass with doe-eyes, meets her fiancé's family for the first time: his wealthy snob of a mother, her overly-solicitous daughter and the daughter's husband, a suave charmer with a seductive manner. This older man takes the girl for a walk alone in the garden and kisses her; soon after, on a secret date, he proclaims his love for her. Twentieth-Century Fox had high hopes for new discovery Christine Carère, French film actress brought to Hollywood to dazzle Americans audiences. She followed this picture later the same year with the musical "Mardi Gras", but audiences weren't smitten and it's clear why. Carère's English is thick and astonished-sounding, her smile flirtatious, her stare coquettish and knowing. It isn't clear how much of a flirt or a tease this girl is meant to be, but when her heartbreak comes and Alfred Newman's romantic music is poured over the images, it's clear we're supposed to be mad about her. Although Carère's performance improves in the film's third act, it would take a gallant screen lover to find her irresistible. Seasoned pro Rossano Brazzi tries, much to his chagrin. ** from ****