La belle équipe

Made during the “Time of Cherries” of spring 1936 - the promising phase of France’s left-wing Popular Front government - the film is considered a cinematic symbol of this era. Five unemployed friends win the lottery and invest their winnings in a dilapidated guinguette, a riverside restaurant and dance hall. But various obstacles stand in the way of their dream: First, much of their renovation is destroyed by a storm; then one of the friends is more attracted to the wider world than nature; another one falls from the roof, and Mario, who is a Spanish immigrant without a residence permit, is given notice of expulsion. In the end, only Jeannot (Jean Gabin) and Charlot (Charles Vanel) remain. But they fall out when Charlot’s ex-wife Gina (Viviane Romance) suddenly appears. (re/fl)