Le Pays, d'ou Je Viens (1956)

The old "mistaken identity" device is given a fresh slant in Marcel Carne's Le Pays d'Ou Ja Viens (The Country I Live In). Gilbert Becaud essays the dual role of a mild-mannered nobody and his exact double, a self-confidant musician. Mistaken for his more brash lookalike, the meek Becaud slowly begins assuming his spiritual twin's personality. Soon he has worked up the courage to propose to the pretty waitress (Francoise Arnoul) whom he's worshipped from afar, and also becomes a surrogate daddy for the girl's younger siblings. Hardly a classic in the tradition of Carne's earlier Les Enfants du Paradis, Le Pays d'Ou Ja Viens is an enjoyable minor effort. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi