"French Without Tears" is a very funny British comedy and satire set in Paris in the mid-1930s. Released in early 1940, it has nothing about WW II that began officially in Oct.
Why didn't Terence Rattigan write more comedies? He was much better at that than at serious drama, which didn't always strike home, but a comedy like this one is an ace in the genre, with brilliant dialogue, hilarious characters, sophisticated irony and irresistible charm.
"French Without Tears" is a British-made film distributed by Paramount. It was originally a play by Terence Rattigan and apparently starred Rex Harrison (according to one of the other reviewers).
A very witty English comedy with a brilliant cast. It has a twist at the end but this comment does not reveal the end.
Unfortunately this film is not yet released as an original DVD, and I saw it in a DVD-R, as copied from TV. I found it delightful and charming, a light and witty comedy, in the European tradition.
I am using the term 'fey' to describe a film whose time may have passed and which will seem to many outdated in 2012. I don't feel the premise is workable or practical nowadays, and there are few of us left who will appreciate the subtleties and tenor of either the script or the storyline.
