Ciel est à vous, Le (1944) review

Mr. Fix-It (and WWI vet) Pierre (Charles Vanel), his wife Thérèse (Madeleine Renaud), their two children and his crabby Mother-in-Law have to move when their garage is expropriated for a new airport - later, Thérèse sees her husband buzzing around in an airplane, catches the flying bug herself (after some initial concerns) and tries to go on the longest solo flight any woman ever has.  I would not have known, just by watching it, that this was made in Occupied France during World War II: Pierre is upbeat and has youthful optimism (and helps out anyone in need), and everyone seems so resilient and dignified ... which could have been a sneaky way of scooting past the Nazi censors while giving the viewers at the time a sense of national pride (they're all looking to the future).  That being said, it's also kind of lackadaisical and unfocused, and only has dramatic force in the final third when there's genuine concern that Thérèse, like Amelia Earhart, may have vanished (no worries: she's fine).  To riff off the British, its message is: garde ton calme et continue.