be it possible to hurt those who be incorrigibly superficial . probably . in rené clair le grandes manoeuvre and an amusing film of manner and moral and seduction and you can watch how to do it in style . lieutenant armand de la verne ( gerard philipe ) be a dash young officer of the 33rd dragoon . his regiment be base in a small provincial french town . the time be well before world war i. de la verne have a reputation of have seduce just about every daughter and wife and mistress among the town grande bourgeoisie and petit nobility and not to mention their maid and a number of night club singer . he charm and confident and light hearted and may even mean some of those endearment and pledge he whisper and at least when he whisper them . his regiment will be go on maneuver in 30 day and and a wager be place between his friend in the regiment and their civilian friend . a woman will be choose at random and and if armand have not seduce her before the regiment leave and he and his friend will pay for a sumptuous farewell dinner . if he succeed and their friend will pay . armand be supremely confident . so be his friend . the woman turn out to be marie louise riviere ( michelle morgan ) and single and divorce and the proprietor of a millinery shop . the woman of the town have be polite toward her but suspicious . she be and after all and an outsider and divorce . a reputation can be extraordinarily fragile when upper class gossip start whisper together . not only do lt. de la verne begin find reason to be gallant toward madame riviere and so do victor duverger ( jean desailly ) and a cautious citizen of the town who be just as worried about his own reputation . he have two sister who do not approve . marie louise have no wish to see her reputation ruin and despite all those who be observe and who love to have something to talk about behind their fan . then and to armand befuddlement and in the process of seduction he begin to fall in love . by then and everyone be aware of his attempt with marie louise and and all his well worn ( and previously successful line ) be repeat with laughter by his friend and by the woman he have seduce and in some case even by those he do not . marie louise hear the whisper . even bad and she learn of the wager . this movie which be so stylish and which glow and smile with such elegant artificiality and have a decidedly ironic end . the movie be permeate with a gorgeous sense of unreality . the costume and color be vibrant while the scene in the town street and the drawing room and the ball room be almost like exquisite drawing . the officer strut along in their red pant and polished black boot and stiff collar . it apparent that to be a success a an officer one must dance well . michelle morgan be a vision with her long neck and blond hair and enigmatic eye . gerard philipe and however and be the center of the story . he a seducer and a happy comrade and a man who love a challenge in love and be unafraid of a challenge for a duel . he be so completely superficial that his grow acquaintance with love and his final look at a pair of closed shutter be touch . gerard philipe be one of france great actor and lead men in the fifty . he be 33 when he make this film . he be dead four year later . he say he be feel poorly and go to his doctor for a check up . they discover he have cancer of the liver . he die week later at the age of 37. and for those whose pulse may not quicken at the thought of watch a foreign language film and remember that rené clair work in hollywood during wwii ( and be strip of his french citizenship by the vichy government ) . look for i marry a witch and it happen here and and then there be none .