Catherine ou Une vie sans joie (1927)

Catherine Ferrand, an orphan, works as a maid for Georges Mallet, the mayor and member of parliament for Varance in the south of France. When she has to collect some keys during a reception, Catherine discovers the mediocrity of the “upper class,” who mock her. The mayor comforts her, but gossip and his wife’s jealousy force her to leave. The young woman is taken in by Laisné, Georges Mallet’s sister, who lives in Nice. Laisné has a son, Maurice, who has tuberculosis. The two young people fall in love, but during the carnival festivities, the young man dies in the girl’s arms. His family throws her out of the house. While looking for another job, she narrowly escapes falling into the clutches of Adolphe, a pimp in Nice. Catherine then returns to Varance, where Mallet hires her as his secretary. His wife leaves him, and the voters turn against him. To avoid causing him any further harm, Catherine leaves the area. She gets on a tram which, with no one at the controls, races straight toward a precipice. Mallet, who has set out to find her, arrives just in time and saves Catherine from a tragic end. He gives up his political career so he can stay with her.