Miracles Only Happen Once (1951)
1939 : what a beautiful year for Claudia and Jerôme. No sooner do they meet that they are under each other's spell. 1939 : what a horrible year for the two lovers : war breaks out before they can get married. They meet again after the war but the enchantment has vanished. They decide to marry but it will be for reason, not for love. Miracles only happen once.
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Two medical students, Jérôme & Claudia, fall in love almost instantaneously. They spend time together in Italy at the onset of WWII. It seems nothing can spoil their new found love which growing by a minute. But at the pinnacle of their of relationship the WWII begins. Jérôme has to report for his military duty. During all the war years he is writing to Claudia whenever he can but eventually he looses touch with her. After the end of the war he is desperately looking for her for a long time. When he finally finds her she is a different from what was he still remembers. They agree to try to continue their interrupted relation but it turns out, it's too late. Their love miracle is over.
The follow-up to "Manèges" ,"Les Miracles N'Ont Lieu Qu'Une Fois " depicts true love whereas the former was all cupidity,nastiness and cheat.The screenplays bears more than a distant resemblance to "Paradis Perdu" (1939) by Abel Gance ,at least in its first third.Alida Valli and Jean Marais,both very good-looking ,portray two students who want to become surgeons;they fall in love and spend some time in paradise in Italy.Alas,WW2 breaks out.When the soldier comes home,will he meet his love again?And will their love survive eleven long years (and however WW2 ended in 1945;as the hero's marriage was short-lived ,it's strange he waits so much time to search his lost love)? Neither Allégret's directing nor Sigurd's screenplay are particularly memorable;compared to "Manèges" and its story told from two different point of views ,"Miracles" uses a monotonous voice over (Jean Marais,not at his best)till you are fed up with it.Worth a look for the two marvelous actors,but that's it.Allégret's and Marais's collaboration would continue in the follow-up "Nez-de -Cuir" which was more satisfying but it was 1953( "les Orgueilleux") before Allégret gave a major work again (it was his last important movie ).