Miquette et sa Mere was the second of Henri-Georges Clouzot's directorial efforts of 1949. Co-scripted by Clouzot, this lighthearted film is easier to digest than the director's more celebrated mysteries and melodramas. Daniele Delorme plays Miquette, a winsome lass who aspires to be an actress. She runs off with a lascivious nobleman (Saturnin Fabre) who promises to make her a star. When Miquette's mother (Mirelle Perrey) searches for her wandering daughter, she finds the girl working with a ragtag touring company. The mother takes a job with the troupe, if for no other reason than to keep the lecherous nobleman away from Miquette. The film works best when re-creating the milieu of 19th-century provincial theatre; standing out in the proceedings is Louis Jouvet as Monchablon, the sort of actor for whom the word "ham" was invented.