Summary
Julie, a modest, hard-working maid, takes the fancy of her employer,
Léon Bouquinquant. A former military man, now the owner of
a crane barge, Léon does not look like the ideal husband - he
drinks too much and is too ready with his hand - but Julie agrees to
marry him. If she hopes that marriage will allow her to escape
from a life of drudgery, Julie is sorely mistaken. She soon
realises what kind of man she has married, a mean-spirited bully who treats her with
contempt. It so happens that Léon has a brother, Pierre,
who has none of his faults. Good-looking, good-natured and
hardworking, Pierre is moved by the miserable existence of his
sister-in-law. He befriends her, shows her kindness, and the two
soon become the closest of friends. Inevitably, they both get
carried away on a tide of passion, and the result is that Julie ends up
being pregnant with Pierre’s child. Léon may be an
alcoholic but he is not stupid. When he realises what has
happened, he turns on his brother and a violent confrontation
ensues...
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium)
© Willems Henri (Brussels, Belgium)
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Related links
- The best French dramas
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Credits
- Director: Louis Daquin
- Script: André Cerf, Louis Daquin, Jean Prévost (novel), Roger Vailland
- Photo: Louis Page
- Music: Jean Wiener
- Cast: Albert Préjean, Madeleine Robinson, Roger Pigaut, Nicole Desailly, Mona Dol, Louise Fouquet, Richard Francoeur, Abel Jacquin, Denise Kerny, Paule Launay, Lavialle, Louis Seigner (Le juge d’instruction), Jean Vilar
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Runtime: 90 min; B&W
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Drama


