An entertaining little comedy,a remake of a Julien Duvivier's silent from the twenties which seems lost forever,"l'abbé Constantin" is a minor triumph for Françoise Rosay who overshadows the rest of the cast in her portrayal of an over possessive mom, a countess whose idee fixe is to become a chatelaine again.but alas, the public sale ("A la Bougie" = with candles:it is the first time I have seen such a sale by auction in a film)is a disaster cause the beloved son cannot get the castle which 's sold for a hefty sum to ...Americans! "Those Americans,Rosay screams,they steal our properties,they drink whiskey and they are not even catholic ,you heretics!" But the new owner is a gorgeous young Bettina and the countess soon realizes that marrying her son to her would be a good idea to get the desirable mansion.But she will have the curate's nephew ,a handsome man in a navy uniform, to reckon with.
The ending is a bit daring for the time: a menage a trois is just around the corner.
The ending is a bit daring for the time: a menage a trois is just around the corner.