Though filmmaker Marcel Carne was no longer considered a trendsetter in the French cinema in the 1950s, his films still turned a profit and pleased the crowd. Heading the cast of Carne's L'Air de Paris is Jean Gabin, the star of the director's earlier Daybreak and other films. Gabin plays Victor, an over-the-hill boxer who hopes to train his ring successor. One of his proteges is railroad worker Andre (Roland Lesaffre), who is hated on sight by Victor's wife Blanche (Arletty). Before long, the irresponsible Andre proves that Blanche was right when he abandons his training in favor of a flashy floozie (Marie Daems). The ending of the film is Pure Hollywood, no matter what language the actors are speaking.
Hal Erickson, Rovi