Paul Meurisse

Long underappreciated and unseen, this tragic masterpiece—Jean-Pierre Melville’s most personal film, based on a novel by Joseph Kessel—recounts the struggles and sacrifices of those who fought in the French Resistance. Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Simone Signoret star as intrepid underground fighters in an unsparing tale of defiance in the face of insurmountable odds.

The wife and mistress of a cruel headmaster conspire to kill him; after the murder is committed, his corpse disappears, and strange events begin to plague the two women.