La Belle Equipe = They Were Five

The fortune of five unemployed labourers take a radical turn for the better when they jointly win a 100,000 francs lottery prize. Jean, the self-appointed leader of the bunch, suggests they invest their money in a ‘guinguette’ (country pub cum outdoor entertainment) on the river Marne. Their dreams of instant success are dashed when Gina, Charles’ girlfriend, shows up demanding her portion of the winnings, then plots the destruction of Jean because he rebuffed her. The film was filmed with two endings. At the first release, the tragic ending chosen by Duvivier was a total flop. After 6 weeks, the film was withdrawn and re-released with a happy ending version. A very beautiful film which will be remembered as one of Duvivier’s finest. It is sensitive without sentimentality, original without effort, populist without vulgarity ; it starts with gaiety and we all feel gay. It ends tragically and our hearts rend. Simple people for a simple story, but with an added dimension of deep tragic poetry, for it shows how destiny can change and look like luck at first, then become fatality.” Source: L’Avant-Scene du Cinema, March 1996.

Credits: Producer, Arys Nissotti ; director, Julien Duvivier ; writer, Julien Duvivier, Charles Spaak ; photography, Jules Kruger, Marc Fossard ; music, Maurice Yvain ; art direction, Jacques Krauss.
Cast: Jean Gabin, Charles Vanel, Raymond Aimos, Charles Dorat, Viviane Romance, Raphael Medina, Fernand Charpin, Raymond Cordy, Charles Granval.