The Man with the Hispano Car was a successful 1925 novel by Pierre Frondaie, with a screen adaptation directed by Julien Duvivier released the following year. It fell to Epstein to direct the sound remake, and the result is an unusual film indeed. It begins as a carefree, Lubitsch-esque comedy about a poor man who is loaned the luxury auto of the film's title by a rich friend. The plot unfolds in surprising ways from there to become an exploration of belief versus cynicism. Ultimately, The Man with the Hispano Car stands beside The Faithful Heart, Gold of the Seas and many others as an expression of a favorite Epstein theme: the necessity and impossibility of love.