One of the popular songs during the last war had some lines which went like this:

They're either too young or too old;

What's good is in the army,

What's left will never harm me . . .

"Devil in the Flesh" is a story about a high school boy and a war bride in France in 1918 who do not find the words of the contemporary ditty to be the case at all. The young woman (Michelene Presle), married to a soldier she does not love, becomes deeply and passionately involved with an adolescent (Gerard Phillipe), and around their clandestine romance is spun the action of the finest French film this reviewer has seen.

It is difficult to point to the exact things which make a movie great. First, of course, its subject matter must be adequately rich, and "Devil in the Flesh" lives up brilliantly to this specification. The film is based on the autobiographical novel "Le Diable an Corps" by Raymond Radiguet. It shows unflinchingly the great residue of immorality which often accompanies war, and depicts the effect of a chaotic, perturbed world on human emotions.

Since the focal point of the movie is the affair of the young lovers, it risks seeming coarse. Both Phillipe and Miss Presle deserve credit for avoiding this weakness through their fine performances. Throughout the fibu, Phillipe maintains a delicate balance between adult physical passion and adolescent instability. Miss Presle, a beautiful and sincere actress, appears convincingly confused as she depicts the feelings of the subjugated bourgeoise. Excellent support is given the stars by the tender performance of Jean Debucourt as the father of the school boy, by the well portrayed shock and righteous indignation of Denise Grey as the young bride's mother.

Perhaps the outstanding feature of this movie is the integrity of its producer, Claude Autant Lara, in moulding the story for the screen. The plot must have posed many problems in presentation, most of which have been solved quite nicely. M. Lara has managed to be adequately delicate without sacrificing too much impact.

The only thing wrong with this film is an occasional lapse in photography. Some of the scenes are overexposed creating a "washed out" effect. This failing is rare, however, and the rest of the photography is excellent in creating mood for the central action.

"Devil in the Flesh" is polished, artistic product. It proves what so many American producers fail to understand: imagination and not dollars makes great pictures.