A man accused of murder discovers a trail of corruption leading to the powerful family of his former love. Going underground, he seeks allies in a town where trust is scarce.
Inhabitants of a flophouse struggle to survive under the harsh treatment imposed by the landlord, Kostyleva. One resident, young thief Wasska Pepel, ends his affair with the landlord's wife, Vassilissa, and takes up with her sister, Natacha. Pepel also befriends the baron, a former nobleman fallen...
Pierre Gilieth has committed a murder in Paris. He flees to Barcelona, where he runs out of money. So he joins the Spanish Foreign Legion. He meets there two fellow countrymen, Mulot and Lucas. He tries to forget his fault... but Lucas's friendship soon appears to be less unselfish...
Rudolf, the only heir to Emperor Franz Josef of Austria-Hungary, is trapped in a loveless marriage to a Belgian princess. As he seeks to flee his stifling environment, he meets the beautiful Maria, and the two enter into a scandalous affair. Despite the interference of the Emperor, the couple...
The story of how the people of Paris cope with the strains and struggles of war, from the siege of the city by the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 to the invasion by the Germans in World War II.
Thérèse, who has come from the city, has married the sad Louis Raboux, a violent peasant who dies under unclear circumstances. Thérèse stays at the farm with Célestin, who loves her, but dares not say it out of shyness. The arrival of Pierre, who knew Louis and has something to hide,...
The struggles of a small business owner come to light in this film by director André Cayatte. The proprietor of a fabric shop, M. Baudu faces stiff competition when a department store moves in across the street, the first of its kind in 1860s Paris. On top of the stresses associated with the rival...
Arsène Lupin decides to run a detective agency in addition to being a gentleman thief. As a detective he happens to cooperate with police in order to unveil the criminal activities of a villain. When he succeeds the villain returns the favour. The unmasked Arsène Lupin manages to escape with the...
Three criminals escape from a French prison and hide in a coastal village where they have to wait for 12 hours until the boat that is supposed to take them to freedom arrives.
A young woman wishing to divorce, promises money to her husband's ex-mistress to obtain her testimony on her behalf. But the same evening, the corpse of the young woman is found in the Seine. Everything seems to confirm the husband's guilt, however a journalist disappears with the evidence.
François and Victor sell hard candy at the fun fair. They also bring up Gisèle, a one-year-old child they found by the side of the road. Although the two men are often at each other's throats they are the best friends, getting on well with the other fairground people. But when they defend Lisa,...
Three events that seemingly nothing related, namely the murder of a truck driver, the discovery of the corpse of a vitriolic young woman, and the death of another who was crushed, will launch the Inspector Maréchal on the trail of a prostitution network. The girl-mother Olga, a friend of the...
When Nathalie, a shoe seller, is abducted, her mother Flora wastes no time taking matters into her own hands. Reluctant to call in the police, she galvanizes her three other daughters into action.
Two journalists from different papers are looking for the same story. They want to know, who a group of gangsters getting young women from Europe to South America, where they are forced to work in brothels. But the gangsters have their own battels against each over, so the journalists can escape...
René Sabin, engineer, disappointed by failures, leaves his village in the South to go to Paris with friends. In the capital, he befriends dubious people, in particular Alex Krakow who does not disdain shady business. Then comes the war. René is mobilized then returns to the country, and finds...
Fernand Espitalion is miserable as totally whipped husband of a dragon 'passed on' -like cloths- by his late cousin. She often leaves him waiting outside like a dog when she does business. While she sees a notary about an inheritance, he's seduced to a bar by a shady man. The rogue gets Fernand...
