User:Steviej95/sandbox

Plot Section Draft: Produced in 1956, and set in 1890 pre-World War I France, Elena and Her Men or Paris Does Strange Things, tells the story of a young, beautiful, and free-spirited Polish princess who specializes in granting people good luck. Elena's family has run out of money, and in order to save them, she agrees to marry an elder, well-off family friend named Hector. No sooner has she agreed to this engagement then she meets a handsome stranger during a July 14th celebration, who turns out to be the famous General Rollan's aide,  Count de Chevincourt. Sparks fly with the Count, but when he introduces Elena to General Rollan, the General is quite taken with her as well. By the end of the day, Elena finds her hands full with her engagement, and the romantic interests of two new men. To further complicate things, General Rollan's political advisers see the General's romantic interest in Elena as a way to influence him to overtake the French government, and they employ her to grant him the luck he needs to do so. As the movie progresses a comical battle of juggling responsibilities develops in each character. Elena feels it is her moral duty to marry Hector, and to help the General save France, but in her heart she loves the Count. The Count is loyal to his general and country, but not so much so that he is willing to concede Elena to the General. The General is in love with Elena but already has a manipulative mistress and is constantly haggled by his advisers to commit to be a political leader in France.

The film concludes with Elena and the Count kissing in a brothel window, impersonating Elena and the General so that the General and his mistress are able to escape France disguised as gypsies. The General obviously abandons his political obligations and the show of affection between Elena and the fake General touches the hearts of the people watching, causing a wave of true love to pass over Paris and mend political tension.

Historical context: By the 1950's, France political system was polarized over the Algerian War, the American occupation, and the French Communist Party efforts. France had been placed in the vanguard of the US military deployment starting in 1952 with approximately 98,104 troops stationed. American troops were sent with the mission to partner with the French government to stop the mounting influence of the French Communist Party. American troops were not welcomed and the French Communist Party and General De Gaulle successfully spearheaded a political and cultural campaign against the occupation, claiming that the Americans were attempting to "stifle authentic French thoughts"and promoting French independance By 1953, eighty-eight percent of France reported that they did not want to see an increase in American influence and graffiti reading, "Go home America" was rampant in the streets. France was becoming a domestic battleground for the fight between communism and the west but, in the spirit of independence they refused American help, instituted policies of detente towards the Cold War, and withdrew from NATO. Meanwhile, the Algerian War (1954-1962) was tearing down the French Fourth Republic and contributing to political polarization. De Gualle became president after the crisis of 1958 and he attempted to reconstruct France economically while maintaining its empire. The Algerian War was evidence of a dying colonization effort but De Gualle saw it as a matter of French identity. He did not feel that France could join the world's superpowers if it was not successful in keeping Algeria as a colony. He requested aid from America in exchange for French support for the US Vietnam effort, but was denied. The Algerian War was so controversial in France that it led to the collapse of six French governments and nearly provoked a French civil war. Some French thought Algeria to be a lost cause and others sympathized with De Gualles sentiments that maintaining control was necessary for imperial glory.