In the course of a routine burglary, Vincent Papineau, a petty thief,
steals an item of objet d'art of exceptional ugliness. Thinking
that the unsightly object is of little value, Vincent sells it on at a
derisory price, not realising that it has a secret compartment
containing a huge sum in banknotes. The money was destined for
Carlotta Luciani, who just happens to be an expert when it comes to
organising revenge killings...
American film comedy had its heyday in the 1920s and '30s, but it remains an important genre and has given American cinema some of its enduring classics.
A wave of fresh talent in the late 1950s, early 1960s brought about a dramatic renaissance in French cinema, placing the auteur at the core of France's 7th art.
In the 1920s French cinema was at its most varied and stylish - witness the achievements of Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Jean Epstein and Jacques Feyder.