La Roue (1957)
Directed by Maurice Delbez, André Haguet

Film Synopsis

In June 1940, a railway worker named Pierre Peltier comes to the rescue of a three-year-old girl, Norma, after her mother dies suddenly in an air raid.  Pierre duly sends the toddler away to Brittany, to be raised in safety alongside his own infant son, Roland.  Life in Nazi occupied France proves to be an ordeal for the solitary widower, whose eyes are badly damaged by a burst of gunfire one day.  Fortunately, he has his sister Marcelle and friend Marcereau to take care of him, but, as his eyesight deteriorates, his future prospects look grim.

Ten years after the war ended, Pierre moves to Lyon to live with his son Roland and adopted daughter Norma, the latter of whom has blossomed into an attractive young woman.  Because of his poor eyesight, Pierre can no longer drive trains and must instead content himself with a more menial job in the railway workshop.  Another grievance he has is Norma's choice of friends, which includes a young airman whom he takes an immediate dislike to.  As Pierre's frustration turns to fury he ends up driving both Norma and Roland away from him...