Benoit, the head guard of Clouville Prison, prefers to be liked than feared. This basic principle transforms the jail-house into a joyful prison, where all the inmates live amicably together. Among them, various colorful characters : a farmer, a poacher, a distiller, a forger, two pickpockets, a safe-cracker, a gangster and... a good-looking guy who pleases Rosette, Benoit's daughter, well. But too much leniency takes its toll : after Vauclin, the gangster, manages to escape and a complaint is filed against "the deplorable disorder reigning in the joyful prison", Benoit is given early retirement. He will know how to take advantage of his new status live a joyful life with his wife, his daughter and André, his son in law, in fact the nice-looking young prisoner who, in the meantime, has been cleared of all charges.
Acting
Michel Simon's gruff teddy bear energy carries every scene.
Production
Charming studio sets that feel like a cozy stage play.
Director
André Berthomieu
Michel Simon
Benoit, chief guard
Ded Rysel
Auguste Tuboeuf, inmate farmer
Paulette Dubost
Justine Benoit
Lisette Lebon
Rosette Benoit
Michel Roux
André Chauvin
Christian Alers
Sub-prefect
Henri Coutet
Gustave
Robert Dalban
Vauclin, inmate gangster
Émile Genevois
'Petit Louis', burglar inmate
Jane Helly
Marcel Rouzé
Brigadier
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Michel Simon was a huge star who famously hated directors; Berthomieu was one of the few he tolerated.
This gentle prison comedy arrived during France's postwar prison reform debates, accidentally making a political point.
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