Synopsis
Five unemployed workers win 100,000 Francs in the national lottery. Instead of sharing the money, they buy a ruin and build an open-air cafe. But difficulties come to split their friendly group apart.
They Were Five
Cast
Jean Gabin Charles Vanel Viviane Romance Charles Dorat Raphaël Médina Micheline Cheirel Marcelle Géniat Fernand Charpin Raymond Cordy Jacques Baumer Raymond Aimos Robert Lynen Robert Ozanne Robert Moor Charles Granval Marcel Maupi Marcelle Yrven Georges Bever Catherine Carrey Teddy Dargy Paul Demange Edith Gallia Claire Gérard Vincent Hyspa Roger Legris Palmyre Levasseur V. Marceau Jean Marconi Franck Maurice Show All…
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Alternative Titles
아름다운 승무원, 멋진 무리, 우리들의 무리, 우리들의 동지, 우리들의 이상, La bella brigata, Die Zünftige Bande, Славната компания, 同心协力, Славная компания, Camaradas, 멋진 친구들
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Theatrical
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France
Releases by Country
France
01 Sep 1936
- Theatrical
Popular reviews
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la camaraderie, l'humour (j'ai tellement ri), les super insultes et expressions (crème de tourte!!), l'incroyable scène de descentes des escaliers si théâtrale, la mise en scène, le décor de cet immeuble, puis construire une maison avec ses copains (un rêve), la critique de la bourgeoisie, la scène des chaussures neuves, tout ça c'était super.
l'ombre au tableau c'est l'idée si originale que les femmes sont un danger pour les amitiés entre hommes, alors que ça commençait bien, ça finit dans un drame misogyne de la femme fatale toxique et vénale (mais qui aime se faire frapper car c'est ça un vrai homme), y'aurait eu plein de choses à raconter mais non maudites femmes tentatrices c'est quand même plus simple:))
il est dispo sur archive.org si ça vous dit !
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I think They Were Five wants to be a sweet and wholesome comedy-drama that is both a love letter to the proletariat and to the laborers, which is wonderful, and what most of the film delivers on, bringing forth an adorable romantic pairing, lovable characters (Tin Tin!!), and some nice portrayals of male friendship. Unfortunately thematically it really loses its way with the introduction of Gina, the ex wife of one of the five friends. Gina, a classic femme fatale to the extreme, drives a wedge between her former husband and one of his friends who she takes as a lover. This could be an interesting love triangle to explore, but Gina is such a misogynistic stereotype and she's so…
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Male camaraderie, unity and optimism of working class. Nicely exuberant but mixed with a wonderful sense of pessimism. The liveliness gradually makes way for tragedy and ultimately it all ends in classic fatalist manner. It's beautifully photographed with a terrific atmosphere and Duvivier's swooping camera brings the lovely setting to life. The cast is very good and Duvivier's direction is great and his character work is very solid. There are two different endings to this, tragic and optimistic, expectedly the tragic one works much much better. Only flaw is the way it tries to explore the idea of desire for women being the main reason behind the downfall of male friendships but it's not big of an issue. Overall this was really very nice, liked it a lot.
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“The comradeship we shared was like the smell of fresh bread.”
Five friends: unemployed, and scratching the underbelly of society with petty crime and civil disobedience. They’re a merry bunch of rogues, and they’re made merrier still when they win a share of the national lottery. The win sets off the first of two wonderfully shot scenes of mass celebration. It’s in these moments that the film excels.
Julian Duvivier was a talented director, and on the strength of the three films of his I’ve seen so far, it seems unfair that he’s been relatively neglected next to the likes of Jean Renoir and Marcel Carné. Here Duvivier shows a lovely eye for character, with his fluid camera scanning a…
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Brief Synopsis: Five unemployed men win the lottery and decide to invest their winnings in the renovation of a dilapidated building on the banks of the River Marne with the aim of turning it into a restaurant. All goes well until the estranged wife (Viviane Romance) of one (Charles Vanel) turns up and makes a play for another (Jean Gabin).
Verdict: Julien Duvivier is little thought of today but he was one of the major French directors of the '30's, and he even went on to have a brief career in Hollywood during World War II, most notably with a pair of anthology films he made back-to-back (Tales Of Manhattan, Flesh And Fantasy). His trademark was to combine graceful camera…
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