Very good! Except for the death of Rouquemoute (Georges Géret), which is rather bland compared to the previous acts of violence by Alphonse, the Clever (Lino Ventura), this is an excellent comedy drama, with good acting all over. It is a motion picture mainly about male characters (with a funny performance by Pierre Brasseur, a bit above the others), but there are three special female parts played by three fine actresses: first, the great Françoise Rosay (once Mrs. Jacques Feyder) as Gertrude, a quiet but vibrant old lady, that somehow made me remember her cunning Cornelia de Witte in "La kermesse héroïque"; then there is lovely Irina Demick, in what could well be the most advantageous role in her whole career; and last but not least Annie Fratellini, the great French circus artist, in a funny and sad performance as prostitute Léone (a real "Irma la douce"). It took me 48 years to finally see this film, which never arrived in Panamanian shores back in its day. Highly recommendable, with the added bonus of Jimmy Smith's score.
