Marguerite de la nuit / Marguerite of the Night (1955)

An updating of the Faust legend, with a dash of Fritz Lang's "Der Müde Tod", to a 1950's Paris recreated in vividly abstract expressionistic sets. The film cost a small fortune to make and was virtually ignored on its release, demolished with vitriol by the critics of the Cahier du cinema. Because of that, its reputation is virtually zero. The film is, in fact, a gem of inventive, imaginative, technically stunning filmmaking totally out of reach for most of the New Wave directors.