Lovers of Paris

The second of director Julien Duvivier's two cinematic contributions of 1957 was Pot-Bouille (Boiling Pot). Based on a novel by Emile Zola, the film stars Gerard Philipe as Octave, an opportunistic Parisian youth who hops from bed to bed -- and from bedmate to bedmate. Young or old, plain or beautiful, Octave loves and leaves 'em all. His romantic rovings come to a halt when he meets pragmatic businesswoman Mme. Hedouin (Danielle Darrieux). Apparently impervious to Octave's charms, Mme. Hedouin nonetheless marries the boy and transforms him into a useful (and least to her) member of society. Director Duvivier never misses an opportunity to contrast the respectable facade of Civilization with the unvarnished, often depraved truth beneath the surface. (official distributor synopsis)