Arguably the most successful and possibly most popular of all Truffaut's films, The Last Metro is a quietly odd study of character and relationships. The year after its release, the film cleaned up at the Cesar Awards, France's answer to the Oscars, with trophies going to both its stars and director, winning best film overall, and yet it couldn't be more passive and unassuming in aspect.

Paris, 1942, is a dark, grim place for Truffaut and his cast. The Nazis have occupied the majority of France, the black market flourishes and citizens pack into cinemas and theatres for the light and warmth unavailable in their own homes. At Montmartre - the area of Paris recently made popular by Amelie - acclaimed film actress Marion Steiner (Catherine Deneuve) struggles to keep up appearances and business in the absence of her German-born Jewish husband Lucas. A new play, with an upcoming lead actor (Gerard Depardieu), provides a chance of financial salvation and the means for Truffaut to expound his understated drama.

The entire cast are as good as one would expect, although Heinz Bennent, as the frustrated director in hiding, has a screen presence that outshines even that of Deneuve and Depardieu, and with such quality acting one is able to relax and sink into the story. The problem is that no attempt has been made to grab the emotions of the audience. The film ambles along, with wonderful dialogue, yes, and gorgeous looking scenes, fabulous costumes and great attention to historical detail, but with little passion.

The political backdrop is treated as just that and Truffaut creates a claustrophobic atmosphere of paranoia, but does not allow his characters to vent their rage at it. With a heritage that is Occupation free, I found it hard to connect with a time that Truffaut seems to assume his audience will remember keenly. That said, it is easy and beautiful to watch, with a lot more to offer in terms of acting ability and script than the majority of DVDs on the shelf these days.