Elena and Her Men

Elena and Her Men
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jean Renoir
Produced by	Louis Wipf
Written by	Jean Serge Jean Renoir
Starring	Ingrid Bergman Jean Marais Mel Ferrer Jean Richard
Music by	Joseph Kosma
Cinematography	Claude Renoir
Edited by	Borys Lewin
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	12 September 1956 (France) 31 December 1956 (Italy) March 29, 1957 (U.S.) 28 November 1958 (Germany)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	Italy/France
Language	French

Elena and Her Men is a 1956 film directed by Jean Renoir and starring Ingrid Bergman and Jean Marais. The film's original French title was Élèna et les Hommes, and in English-speaking countries, the title was Paris Does Strange Things. It is the third addition to the trilogy, preceded by The Golden Coach (1953) and French Cancan (1955). A restored copy has been released in the 21st century.

Produced in 1956, and set in 1890 France, Elena and Her Men tells the story of a young, beautiful, and free-spirited Polish princess in fin de siècle Paris 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 a wealthy, older family friend. No sooner has she agreed to this engagement, then she meets a handsome stranger during a 14 July celebration, who turns out to be the famous General Rollan's aide, Count de Chevincourt (Mel Ferrer). Sparks fly with the Count, but when he introduces Elena to General Rollan (Jean Marais), 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 matters, 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 honor her engagement, 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 is unwilling to concede Elena to the General. The General is in love with Elena but already has a mistress and is preoccupied with his growing political role in France.

When the General is deliberately posted to a remote town by the French government to prevent a coup d'état, Elena follows, trying to help save France. The Count pursues her, trying to win Elena's heart. The film concludes with Elena and the Count kissing in a brothel window, impersonating Elena and the General, providing a decoy so that the General and his mistress are able to escape France disguised as gypsies. The General abandons his political obligations and Elena, and the show of affection between Elena and the fake General sparks their love for each other touching the hearts of the people watching, and causing a wave of true love to pass over Paris and mend political tension.