Los cobardes

That's what the Spanish title means ;the crew is mostly Spanish,but the two leads ,Yves Massard ,a former Pierre Fresnay's student ,and Claudine Dupuis are French.

This is the story of a boy born under a bad sign; a brutal father who had him work as a newspaper boy when he was hardly twelve,the premature death of his mother,little thefts and a reform school where good priests try to inculcate the straight and narrow in him.He learns mechanics,but the only job he finds is car cleaner.A bad girl introduces him to a gang and he soon becomes a part of them ; when he wants to call it quits ,it's too late .

The movie is a long flashback and ends on a note of hope .