NR | 1 h 42 min | Drama, Romance | 1937
Set in 1914 against the backdrop of World War I, director Henry King’s movie begins with a glimpse into the lives of the poor who clean one of Paris’s lowliest hovels. It’s where the seediest mingle with the saintly, and prostitutes and pimps hustle alongside priests and prophets.
A godless sewer-man Chico (James Stewart) falls for and rescues pretty Diane (Simone Simon) from the clutches of her exploitative sister-pimp Nana. Disgusted by having to live in fear and poverty, through no fault of his own, Chico defiantly declares his atheism before the local priest, Fr. Chevillon (Jean Hersholt). Why trust in a God who’s deaf to prayer?…