Hélène Perdrière

This Surrealist film, with a title referencing the Communist Manifesto, strings together short incidents based on the life of director Luis Buñuel. Presented as chance encounters, these loosely related, intersecting situations, all without a consistent protagonist, reach from the 19th century to the 1970s. Touching briefly on subjects such as execution, pedophilia, incest, and sex, the film features an array of characters, including a sick father and incompetent police officers.

The story of the Swiss soldier, Henri Dunant, who was responsible for the founding of the Red Cross, and who was offered the first Nobel Peace Prize.

Diavalo is the popular hero of French serials circa 1912. Diana is an actress who falls in love with Diavalo. Diavalo is forced to wear a series of disguises to elude the police so he can attend a Gala for the President.

A valuable painting has been stolen from an art gallery in Paris.. On a train travelling between Paris and Rome, Zutra, a mysterious and sinister character, tries to find the stolen painting.

A young noblewoman regrets having to marry the village ironmaster for money reasons, but later comes to appreciate her new husband.

Mathilde Stangerson just married her fiance, when she heard that Larsan, her cruel former husband, whom she believed to be dead, is actually very much alive. Taking refuge to her castle, she appealed to the journalist Rouletabille to protect her.

Documents relevant to National Defence have been concealed in a certain vase by a dangerous gang of robbers. To neutralize the criminals, a seasoned police commissioner and his clumsy assistant, young inspector César, join forces with a colorful trio of thieves nicknamed Le Pouce (Thumb), L'Index (Index Finger) and Le Majeur (Middle Finger)...

Sitting at his desk, Guitry gives us a lecture on French history from Joan of Arc to the Occupation, with some focus on a number of its great writers and musicians.

Jacques Audoin falls in love with a pianist, Evelyne Clery, and marries her. In reality, he had wanted to approach her, because he imagined that she had witnessed the murder of the lover of his first wife. Evelyne learns what has happened and, revolted by what she thinks is her husband's plot, commits suicide. Jacques confesses his crime.

Albert Topaze, sincere schoolteacher addicted to "rote" morality, works at a private school run by supremely money-grubbing M. Muche, whose daughter, also a teacher, makes cynical use of the knowledge that Topaze loves her. Alas, Topaze's naive honesty brings him unjust dismissal...and makes him fair game for the "aunt" of his private pupil, really the mistress of crooked politician Regis, who needs an honest-seeming "front man." Can artful Suzy Courtois keep Topaze on the string? With steadily escalating disillusion comes moral crisis...

A young reporter solves a mystery crime. The fictional reporter is Joseph Rouletabille. He works on a complex, and seemingly impossible, crime in which the criminal appears to disappear from a locked room.

Geneviève, ruined and destitute, visits a former servant working for a count who is absent for the moment. He offers Geneviève the bed of the count, who returns unexpectedly. After some adventures, the count passes Geneviève off as his sister, then marries this young girl he so curiously met.

Hélène, a young waitress working in a bar frequented by German soldiers, saves the life of Pierre, a Resistance fighter. Her jealous lover has her arrested first and then released. Later on, Hélène is wounded while walking in the streets. Pierre has her transported to friends with the hope of taking her to London with him. Unfortunately, owing to lack of space in the plane, Pierre has to fly alone. Hélène has to wait several weeks before being able to board a new plane. When the day comes at last, the Germans are waiting for the plane on the clandestine airfield.

Father Lebonnard, a former watchmaker who made a fortune, remains simple while his wife is only dreaming of worldly affairs and pushes his son Freddy to marry Bianca, the daughter of the Marquis de Rocafort, their neighbor. She feeds a similar project for her daughter Mariella.

A distress call from a trawler leads various people to come to the crew's aid.

A wrongfully convicted man finds himself suspected of a crime committed in his prison.

The crazy adventures of a character forced by circumstances to take on such dangerous professions as those of gangster, burglar, Chinese chiropodist and amateur detective.

In Shangai, the "Green Dragon" threatens to kill Herbert Aboody, a rich exporter, unless he pays him 50,000 dollars. One of Aboody's secretaries calls inspector Wens for help. An amazing fact occurs, Wens kills Aboody and then disappears. What is the key to this mystery?

The agency À Votre Service has the reputation of meeting all needs. This is what Stanislas observes when his uncle replaces his mistress with a fiancée provided by the agency.

Mr. Bouton, a modest carpenter from Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, widower and father of Pinpin, a little boy, marries Mrs. Colombe, mother of Ninette, a little girl. Soon deceived and abandoned, he raises the two children alone. As an adult, Pinpin falls in love with Ninette, but she is in love with Gérard Garnier, whom she soon marries. The children gone, Bouton finds himself alone and one Christmas evening meets Mrs. Marie, a mother who raises her two children alone.

An elderly woman would like some company as her son is off venturing foreign lands and seducing women from lands afar. Her resident priest who seems to live in the same château as her does not agree and seems to have preconceptions and superstitions as to a family curse.

The film is the first of a series of films containing the character of "Bouboule", created by the singer Milton and comprising La Bande à Bouboule (1931), directed by Léon Mathot, Le Roi du cirage (1931), directed by Pierre Colombier, Bouboule Ier, roi des Nègres (1933), directed by Léon Mathot, and Prince Bouboule, directed by Jacques Houssin (1939).