Dedee is a prostitute, working in Monsieur Rene's night club on Antwerp's harbour. The porter is Marco, her pimp. Dedee is not happy, until she meets Francesco, an italian sailorman. They fall in love and Dedee begins to dream about an escape of her daily dullness.
Acting
Signoret's eyes do three acts of backstory before she speaks.
Cinematography
Antwerp harbour looks like a black-and-white fever dream.
Direction
Allégret makes misery absolutely gorgeous.
Director
Yves Allégret
Bernard Blier
"Monsieur", le patron du bar à entraîneuses
Simone Signoret
Dédée, une entraîneuse soutenue par Marco
Marcello Pagliero
Francesco, le capitaine du cargo italien
Jane Marken
Germaine, une entraîneuse du bar
Marcel Dieudonné
le trafiquant
Marcelle Arnold
Magda, une entraîneuse
Denise Clair
la patronne d'un bistrot
Gabriel Gobin
Paul, le serveur et cuisinier du bar
Michel Jourdan
Marcel Dalio
Marco, le portier du bar, souteneur de Dédée
Claude Farell
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Signoret's breakthrough role; she married Yves Montand two years later and became the first Frenchwoman to win Best Actress at Cannes.
Shot in actual Antwerp docks with real sailors as extras — the grime is documentary-authentic.
FR
