The Gates of Paris

Two friends live in a district on the edge of Paris: Juju, who drinks constantly and has no work, and the Artist, whose name nobody knows and who plays the guitar. One night an armed man turns up at the door: a fugitive called Barbier wants somewhere to hide from the police. The two of them hide him in Juju's ruined house. Once Juju gets the taste of being needed by somebody, he even stops drinking. Then Juju notices that Barbier is growing close to Maria, the girl he loves. This late film of René Clair's is much darker than the light comedies he made earlier; the quarter, the rain and the bars are the whole world of the film. Georges Brassens plays the Artist; he was one of France's best known singers and poets, and this is the only substantial part he played in cinema. His songs are in the film too.