In a chaotic 19th-century Paris teeming with aristocrats, thieves, psychics, and courtesans, theater mime Baptiste is in love with the mysterious actress Garance. But Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: pretentious actor Frederick, conniving thief Lacenaire, and Count Edouard of Montray.

Philippe and Sylvie have to do with Alvarez, a dangerous gang leader. They break up with him and commit robbery and murder. Sylvie suggests that Philippe take refuge in his quiet family. His younger sister Antoinette attracts and charms Philippe and excites the jealousy of Sylvie who informs Alvarez. The police get involved and Philippe is killed during a merciless fight.

Lucrèce, a famous actress, is bothered first, then flattered by the passionate testimonies of love given to her by François, a 12th grade student infatuated with her. Taking pity on the boy, Lucrèce decides to heal him of his madness and with this in mind she invites him for a working holiday on her farm. Instead, she falls in love with the cherub. At a time, her young lover grows so jealous of her that he attempts suicide. The mature actress then understands that their love story is going nowhere. She will remain alone while François will forget her.

A struggling artist buys a talisman that gives him love, fame and wealth. The talisman is a severed left hand, and it works perfectly, in fact, magically. But of course there is nothing free in this world, and after one year the devil comes and asks for his due.

Crainquebille, merchant of four seasons, is sentenced to fifteen days in prison for having insulted a police officer. When he leaves, his clientele moves away from him and Crainquebille thinks of suicide, when the affection of a kid from Montmartre makes him change his mind.

Hélène has an affair with Alain for ten years, but does not want to divorce her husband. Alain receives one letter from a girl Michelle one day. Hélène, who is very jealous, receives that letter by chance and interprets it incorrectly.

A husband, exasperated by his wife, spanks her without paying attention to the open window in front of which he is. He is annoyingly surprised to discover the next day that the scene has been photographed by a neighbor, and that the image is circulating in Paris. A debate then ensues: is this an opportunity to call for revolt or a welcome manifestation of marital authority?

A village in the French Alps is rocked by a series of crimes, including the theft of a sacred ring and the murder of a man dressed as Père Noël (Father Christmas).

An officer, two of his comrades and a social worker want to create the "Carrefour", a place for lost children and teens to give them a chance not to fall by the wayside and spend most of their life in jail.

Although suspected and hunted down by policeman Sherlock Coco and inspector Hector, the Pieds Nickelés (Croquignol, Filochard and Ribouldingue) manage to save the legacy of Monsieur Miradoux, who will be very grateful to them.

1938, France, Paris, at the Superior Conservatory of Dramatic Art ("Conservatoire Supérieur d'Art Dramatique"). The first-year entrance exams are in full swing. Many applicants, few accepted. Isabelle (Janine Darcey) is one of the few chosen. She joins former students from the second and third years, including François (Claude Dauphin) and Cécilia (Odette Joyeux). They attend the drama class run by Professor Lambertin (Louis Jouvet). The young people, passionate and eager to become comedians, clash in tumultuous love affairs, because by dint of acting, they imagine that life is a farce. François, for example, is in love with Isabelle, who also loves him, but is pursued by Cecilia, his former mistress... "Put art in your life and life in your art!"

Two friends, mobilized together and idle, send their photos to two young workers. The photos are inverted, resulting in a real sentimental imbroglio which finds its best conclusion in the context of the Théâtre aux Armées.

A young mechanic is given a strange job: to convey the king of the gypsies' embalmed dead body on a very long route.

Tells the story of a young woman escaping from reform school who tries to steal a foreign ambassador's watch but ends up falling in love with him.

Maloin, a maritime station guard, spends his nights at the port signal box. One night, he becomes the witness of a murder: for a simple suitcase smuggled, the altercation between the two men turns to drama. While the first falls and drowns, the second flees. Maloin, instead of warning the police, decides to dive in and recover the suitcase...which contains more than 3 million in small denominations! That's when the trouble begins...

For fun and to dazzle his wife, the novelist Morgan steals a ring and gets rid of it in the costume jewelry section of a supermarket. Sophie buys the diamond, which forces the novelist to embark on crazy adventures to recover the jewel.

The aunt of Alfred Puc, a meek tax-collector in Paris, dies while riding in a moving van. The driver, not wishing to be bothered by a police interrogation, hides her corpse in a cupboard before notifying Alfred. But the van is stolen. Alfred, being the heir of a rich lady, begins a frantic search to locate the missing van and the cupboard because one can't claim an inheritance if there is no 'corpus delecti.' In his search, he gets caught up in an underworld web and finds the body of a murdered gangster in his room. He finally locates the cupboard but promptly loses it again. But, wait, it isn't "finis' time, yet.

The irresistible rise of a young provincial, Miquette, who, having risen to Paris, will experience success in the theater and love in Hollywood with a very attractive tennis player.

The film is biographical, telling the story of the life and artistic struggles of the French composer Hector Berlioz. Berlioz is shown as a recalcitrant medical student in an anatomy class dreaming of becoming a composer; at a demonstration during a performance at the Paris Opéra conducted by Habeneck; at supper with other young artists (Hugo, Janin, Dumas, Mérimée, Delacroix); and chasing after his future wife Harriet Smithson, after a performance of Hamlet. Also depicted are his life in a garret, while suffering from an illness due to an abscess in the throat; a visit from his mother who curses him; and the composition of the Symphonie fantastique. The film then shows his marital breakdown, the premiere of his opera Benvenuto Cellini, his travels throughout Europe, his second marriage to Marie Recio (called "Marie Martin" in the film), public acceptance in old age and reconciliation with his son.

It is one thing to open a beauty salon (which Edwige and her young lover Gaston have just done) but it is another to keep it on its feet.To best promote their speciality, fountain-of-youth treatments, Edwige decides to apply to the letter the old slogan "It pays to advertise" by posing as... Gaston's mother, a sixty-year-old woman, miraculously grown younger.