La Traversée de Paris

Watch La Traversée de Paris (1956) online on iFILM — a French comedy-drama directed by Claude Autant-Lara, adapted from Marcel Aymé's short story. Jean Gabin and Bourvil play two men hauling suitcases of black-market pork across Nazi-occupied Paris on a single curfew night.

Bourvil is the down-on-his-luck driver who does this kind of run for the money. Gabin is the successful painter who joins for the thrill. Their odd partnership plays out through back alleys, German patrols, and a city that has learned to look the other way. Louis de Funès has a supporting role here, years before anyone outside France knew his name.

The film keeps its comedy dry and its stakes real — two men who could be shot for what is in those bags, and one of them is barely bothered. Stream La Traversée de Paris (1956) online on iFILM.