It's one of the best films ever made and one of my favourite films, although the first time I attempted to see it at 14 years old in 1973 I didn't understand it at all. I tried again four years older and it won me over. Personal tastes vary not only between people but within people over time. Nowadays I can't understand why some people can't understand it and get nothing from this timeless world classic - at the very least they could look upon it as the closest the French cinema ever got to Dickens.

Meandering tale set in 1840's France has whimsically smiling Garance played by Arletty in love with mime artist Baptiste played perfectly by Jean-Louis Barrault but with three other men in love with her too. These are the Dramatic Actor Lemaitre played by Pierre Brasseur (Lucien from Le Quai Des Brumes),the cynically corrupt Lacenaire by Marcel Herrond (Renaud from Les Visiteurs Du Soir) and stiffly possessive Montray by Louis Salou. With Maria Casares as the faithful Nathalie the trouper in love with Baptiste and you have the main cast for your delectation. Just as the characters in the plays at the Funambules depended upon the pleasure of the audience up in "the Gods" so do the actors on the screen – although now thanks to TV and DVD us people up in the Gods are a lot more distant! The main thread is how and why all the tangled love affairs unravel. The film is littered with eccentric characters and heavy poetic observations, backed up with a logical plot, incredible sets and unforgettable acting – all made under the Nazi occupation. Adversity often heightens the senses, but Carne and Prevert excelled themselves with this production. Favourite bits: Baptiste proving Garrance's innocence of stealing a watch in mime to the assembled crowd; the touchy scenes inside the aptly-named Robin Redbreast pub; Garance and Lemaitre in the deeply shaded box at the Funambules watching Baptiste perform; his calling her beautiful and her response of "No, just alive, that's all"; Lemaitre revising the play in which he was acting on the stage; his opinion of mulled wine – "Like God slipping down your throat in red velvet breeches"; Lacenaire's lacerated opinion of everything – especially of Montray; the bookend bustling street scenes at the start and finish; the astounding ending; and on and on – so much richness to see and hear in three hours!

It's a world portrayed in great detail and lovingly, done in the best French tradition: dreamy, full of poetry, a frisson of sex and a little violence. As with me, it may need a little patience to cultivate this particular flower, but if you allow it into your heart it will never leave you again. Definitely High Art!

The movie opens and closes with a most festive carnival atmosphere, with mimes and clowns prancing their wares to an enthusiastic street crowd. Amid the rabble of 1920's Paris, a somewhat aristocratic looking woman becomes the romantic target for four disparate men, some with love in mind, and some with, well, that which goes with the territory. The story takes place over two long chapters titled 'The Boulevard of Crime' and 'The Man in White', and there was a bit of a disconnect for me in that the second part took place 'several years' after the introduction of the principal players. Perhaps that was necessary to establish that one of Claire Reine/the Lady Garance's (Arletty) principal suitors, the mime artist Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault) wound up in marriage to Nathalie (María Casares) and was raising a son with her. For whatever reason, Garance never terminated the relationships with her remaining three paramours, who remained in her orbit and often crossed paths with each other while harboring conflicting emotions.

Though the picture managed to maintain my interest, I can't honestly say that this might have been the greatest French film ever, or as some reviewers here state, THE greatest movie of all time. Certainly director Marcel Carné created a lively and vivid period film under harsh wartime conditions while France was occupied by Nazis during World War II. It always strikes me as significant that actors and actresses can compartmentalize their emotions during times of stress to produce their particular form of art. Taking nothing away from devotees of the picture, I thought it was generally a good film but far from the 'greatest' label.

With that said, I thought each of the principals did a competent job with their portrayals, particularly Jean-Louis Barrault during his mime sequences. I was somewhat puzzled over the choice of actress Arletty as the object of desire for her four would be lovers, as she didn't strike me as stunningly beautiful per se, though there was a classic grace to her personality. Most disconcerting for this viewer was how easily Baptiste managed to cast off concern for his wife when she caught the two of them in a romantic embrace. One wonders exactly what he would do about her if he managed to track down Garance in that vast sea of clowns and revelers as the story came to a close.

It's the 1820s in the theater district of Paris or the Boulevard du Crime. Claire 'Garance' Reine (Arletty) is an aluring woman in the show. Four men all fall for her. Baptiste Debureau (Jean-Louis Barrault) is a mime. Frédérick Lemaître (Pierre Brasseur) is a serious actor. Pierre François Lacenaire (Marcel Herrand) is a thief. Count Édouard de Montray (Louis Salou) is an aristocrat. Garance is accused of stealing a watch from a man which was taken by Lacenaire and witness Baptiste saves her. Nathalie, who is also a mime, loves Baptiste.

When I read the accolades that this is "the greatest French film of all time", my expectations were heightened. Maybe there are things lost in the translation. It's basically a romance melodrama. I know that this was made during the Nazi occupation. I can certainly see the emotional connection that entails especially for the French. I understand perfectly how difficult this must have been to put such a large production on the screen. As a movie, this is merely a well-made melodrama and not much more. I really like the extended scene of the play. It's a good movie but it's a little disappointing.