AllMovie

The great Harry Baur plays the title character in Cette Vielle Canaille -- which translates as "That Old Bum"! But he's no bum at the beginning of the picture: In fact, he's a retired doctor/chemist who spends his spare time conducting medical experiments on small lab animals. Looking for new specimens, Baur visits a circus, where he falls hopelessly in love with vain performer Alice Field. Inevitably, she leaves him in favor of a younger, handsomer man, whereupon Baur goes into an emotional tailspin. In the incredibly tense finale, Field must undergo a delicate operation -- which only Baur can perform!