in 1965, anatole dauman, the head of argos films, wanted to re-edit and re-release alexandre astruc's 1952 44-minute film "the crimson curtain". he decided that he also wanted another medium-length film to accompany astruc's film and offered the project to godard, suggesting that godard adapt guy de maupassant's short story "the signal". godard had been interested in filming "the signal" for several years and agreed to the project. eventually dauman suggested that godard also adapt maupassant's short story "paul's mistress" and secured the rights to both short stories. when filming began, godard discarded both maupassant short stories and maupassant's publishers later agreed that the film was in no way an adaptation of the author's work. the only parts of either short stories that appear in the film is the fact that the main characters name is paul and the "film within the film" that the main characters go to see at a movie theater was initially inspired by "the signal".