Casque d'or

After WWII and before the New Wave, Jacques Becker seems to be one of the few French directors who was making good films, and this is one of his most fondly remembered. I would classify it as being from the period of French poetic realism. While certainly a different film, I couldn't help but notice how similiar it felt to the great Children of Paradise. It takes place in the Paris underworld of gangsters and wannabe gangsters in the early 1900's -- you almost feel like Offenbach should be playing in the background. The central relationship is between a glorified prostitute and a kind-hearted gangster. Unfortunately for him, she belongs to a more respected, higher ranking gangster. This introduces some fiery passions in both love and violence. While I probably won't remember this film as I do films like Children of Paradise or L'Atalante, it certainly deserves to be held in association with such films.