Voyage sans espoir (1943)
Directed by Christian-Jaque

Film Synopsis

Pierre Gohelle is a hardened criminal on the run from the police who plans to escape to another country with the help of his mistress, Marie-Ange.  On the way to the seaport, he runs into a young banker, Alain Ginestier, who boasts that he is heading off to South America with 300 thousand francs in his wallet.  It so happens that Gohelle is in great need of money.  With the police roaming the harbour, he will need quite a few banknotes to bribe  the crew of the cargo vessel he intends to escape in.  To that end, he enlists Marie-Ange's in divesting Ginestier of his well-endowed wallet.  The banker is easily seduced by the hoodlum's fascinating mistress, but the latter has a change of heart and refuses to go ahead with the theft.

As Gohelle gets into a fight to the death with Déjanin, the captain of the boat that was to be his ticket to freedom, Marie-Ange makes up her mind to elope with Ginestier.  Before the latter can make good their escape, Gohelle shows up and runs off with the banker's wallet, hotly pursued by the police.  It is then that Ginestier makes his confession: he stole the money from his bank!  In the hope of redeeming the man she has lost her heart to, Marie-Ange tackles Gohelle and recovers the compromising wallet.  Ginestier can now return the money from where he stole it and resume his old life as if nothing had happened.  As he does so, he is blissfully unaware of the fact that Marie-Ange sacrificed her life to save him...