Synopsis
Based on
Maxim Gorki’s novel, the hugely popular
Les Bas-fonds, made in the heady, optimistic spirit of the Popular Front, testified to
Renoir’s commitment to the Left.
Gabin plays Pépel, the working-class hero who rids his proletarian community of their exploiter, the repellent Kostilev (
Vladimir Sokoloff) and at the end hits the road with his sweetheart Natacha (
Junie Astor), in a tribute to
Chaplin’s
Modern Times.
