AllMovie

Les Chiffoniers D'Emmaus (The Rapickers of Emmaus) is based on a novel by Boris Simon. Andre Reybaz stars as the Abbe Pierre, a real-life religious leader who rescued hundreds of homeless people during the deadly European winter of 1953. Taking over a deserted mansion, the Abbe opens his doors to the tired, the poor, the wretched refuse of France. The individual stories of these unfortunates, told in flashback, make up the bulk of the film. Particularly good are Pierre Trabaud as an ex-convict who can't get a break, and Charles Moulin as a likeable, washed-up boxer.