Sylvia and the Ghost (1946)

As the clock ticks towards the midnight hour marking Sylvie's 16th birthday, her father, desperate for cash to maintain their ancestral castle, parts with Sylvie's most cherished possession - a painting of Alain, her grandmother's lover who met a tragic end in a duel. The echo of Alain's ghost lingers in the castle's stone halls, a spectral presence sensed only by Sylvie. She finds herself caught in a paradox of emotions, drawn to the ethereal Alain, while grappling with the fear that mortal romance may never find her. In a bid to make her birthday unforgettable, Sylvie's father schemes a midnight spectacle - the grand appearance of Alain's phantom. Unbeknownst to him, two young men smitten with Sylvie, vie to enact the role of the ghost. Fred, the affluent patron who now owns the painting, and Ramure, a jewel thief tucked away in the castle's shadowy corners, both pledge their love in spectral robes of white. As the night unfurls, the drama escalates and the lines blur between the living and the dead. In a twist of fate, Alain's ghost intertwines himself in the love triangle, orchestrating a resolution that none could have foreseen. Sylvia and the Ghost weaves a magical tale of romance, mystery, and the power of the unseen, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats, bewitched by love's many guises.

Sylvia and the Ghost is a comedy movie featuring Odette Joyeux and directed by Claude Autant-Lara.

Sylvia and the Ghost is currently streaming on Criterion Channel.