Jean-Claude Brialy ,a very talented French actor,when it comes to directing ,has always kept his child's soul.He transferred to the screen two novels written by the comtesse de Segur "les Malheurs de Sophie" and " un Bon Petit Diable" .Those choices were predictable"in the wake of "Eglantine" ,which could have been written by the dear old countess:the old grandma with all her grandsons on her knee in her castle is a thing of a distant past ,but deliciously charming.It's not all finer feelings since the adults are not that much nice.In his memoirs "j'ai oublié de vous dire" ,Brialy is not kind with his own family:hence perhaps the need to build an imaginary one.Only for people who are still having their child's soul.I'm part of them,of course.