Madame Rosa

Madame Rosa (Simone Signoret), a retired prostitute and Auschwitz survivor, wants to keep the children of other prostitutes fed and under her roof in a sixth-floor walkup in the Pigalle. Her favorite is Momo, an Algerian boy she raises as a Muslim, who asks about his parents and gets only evasive answers. As Rosa ages and the money thins, Momo takes to the street with a puppet for pennies, and she makes him promise never to sell himself.