Jacques Siclier wrote that this movie was in the Vichy mold : in a scene ,the husband tells his wife that abortion is a crime .You may remember Claude Chabrol's "Une Affaire de Femmes" ,a movie which told the story of a backstreet abortionist based on a true story.The scene between the man and the abortionist is interesting -and it's probably the only one- cause their vocabulary remains very vague ;after all,it was 1943.
"Le Bal Des Passants" is a mediocre melodrama,using all the clichés without transcending them .Annie Ducaux was less lucky in the movies than she was on stage ;Jacques Dumesnil is not even handsome ,even by yesterday's standards .The plot includes,apart from abortion,a natural child,a love affair between a poor lad (but a future great composer) and a wealthy girl,jealousy,a lot of music (but Guillaume Radot is not Frank Borzage), fame and success in America.And a girl named "Bijou" (Jewel)who appears out of the blue,probably to edify the audience and show them the right way to happiness.
