Les Tortillards (1960)
Directed by Jean Bastia

Film Synopsis

A successful manufacturer of a leading brand of insecticide, Émile Durand cannot believe his ears when he discovers that his ungrateful son Gérard has run away from home to join a travelling theatre company.  It seems that the silly boy has fallen head over heels in love with Suzy, an acrobat in the happy troupe, and has opted to follow her profession as an itinerant performer, knowing full well that his father will never allow the young lovers to marry.

Glad to have freed himself from the yoke of bourgeois conformity, Gérard has no difficulty getting himself accepted into the company as they travel from town to town by whatever means they can, never failing to find an audience wherever they end up.   Durand's wife cannot bear to see the present rift between her husband and her son continue, so she goes after Gérard and, before she knows it, she is given a part in the troupe's next production.  As for the unforgiving Émile, he too is inexplicably drawn towards the life of the travelling player...