They Were Five (1936) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

After winning the lottery, the five friends debate what to do with their windfall. Jeannot leads the discussion and convinces them that pooling the 100,000 francs together would give them something lasting, a shared business venture that would provide work and independence for all of them, rather than a brief windfall that would quickly disappear.

Foreshadowing: Their decision to live and work together on site is meant to strengthen their bonds, but the proximity eventually amplifies tensions.

• lottery winnings
• pooling money
• shared business
• group decision
• Jeannot

Tintin, the group's jester, climbs onto the roof of the guinguette to perform antics for the others. He falls fatally, shocking the entire group. His death marks a tragic turning point that casts a pall over their optimistic project and strains the newly formed bond among the remaining friends.

Foreshadowing: Tintin's reckless behavior on the roof earlier in the film hints at his careless nature that ultimately leads to his demise.

• Tintin death
• fatal accident
• roof fall
• group tragedy
• guinguette

Jacques, whose presence had helped anchor the group's early harmony, vanishes with his portion of the winnings. His departure sows distrust and panic among the others, undermining their unity and raising questions about their ability to share responsibility for the collective project.

Foreshadowing: Earlier disagreements about money and control hint at Jacques's growing discomfort with the arrangement.

• Jacques disappearance
• vanishing money
• group betrayal
• leaving the group

Mario, an illegal immigrant from Spain, receives notice of expulsion from France. To secure his future and avoid deportation, he hastily marries his fiancée Huguette. This rushed decision changes his ties to the group and shifts the balance of loyalties as he seeks stability through marriage rather than the uncertain venture.

Foreshadowing: Mario's precarious immigration status was mentioned early in the film, establishing the urgency that drives his decision.

• Mario marriage
• Huguette
• immigration
• expulsion
• hasty wedding

Gina is Charlot's wife, though only Charlot knows this fact initially. She remains a shadowy presence among the group of friends, and her presence becomes a source of tension. Charlot seeks to control her while also using her as leverage in his claims to the winnings.

Foreshadowing: Gina's ambiguous status as a 'shadowy presence' among the friends hints at the manipulation she will later unleash.

• Gina
• Charlot wife
• secret wife
• manipulation
• woman

Jeannot and Charlot's friendship frays when Gina enters the picture. Charlot tries to control Gina and claim a larger stake in the winnings, while Jeannot becomes drawn into Gina's influence. Charlot then seduces the receptive Jeannot, exploiting his jealousy over Gina and money, which tests their friendship and blurs moral lines within the group.

Foreshadowing: Charlot's earlier desire to control Gina and claim money foreshadows his manipulation of Jeannot.

• Jeannot
• Charlot
• Gina
• love triangle
• jealousy
• manipulation

The film exists in two versions. In the original pessimistic ending, Jeannot's jealousy drives him to shoot Charlot dead, ending their camaraderie and exposing Gina's destructive role. In the re-shot optimistic ending, Jeannot and Charlot put aside their differences and unite as friends against Gina's manipulation, choosing solidarity over betrayal.

Foreshadowing: The building tension between Jeannot and Charlot throughout the film sets up both possible conclusions.

• two endings
• pessimistic ending
• optimistic ending
• Jeannot shoots Charlot
• reconciliation

Despite their initial optimism and hard work converting the ruined laundry into a functioning venue, the project collapses under the weight of personal flaws and external pressures. Tintin's death, Jacques's disappearance, Mario's departure, and the escalating conflict between Jeannot and Charlot over Gina all erode the group's unity and destroy their dream.

Foreshadowing: The daily grind of living and working together magnifies underlying tensions about money and control from the start.

• guinguette failure
• project collapse
• group breakup
• shared dream
• business failure

Jeannot's jealousy emerges from two sources: his attraction to Gina, who is Charlot's wife, and his resentment of Charlot's attempts to claim a larger share of the winnings while controlling Gina. Charlot exploits this vulnerability, seducing Jeannot and manipulating him through his jealousy, ultimately pushing Jeannot toward the violent act in the pessimistic ending.

Foreshadowing: Early tensions between Jeannot and Charlot about leadership and money plant the seeds of Jeannot's jealousy.

• Jeannot jealousy
• Charlot
• anger
• betrayal
• murder

The lottery windfall that should have united them instead becomes the catalyst for their downfall. The shared money creates tension over control and distribution, enables Jacques to abandon the group, fuels Charlot's ambition, and ultimately triggers Jeannot's violent jealousy. Money and desire combine to fracture their fellowship.

Foreshadowing: Their debates about what to do with the winnings reveal early disagreements about money's role in their friendship.

• money corruption
• lottery money
• greed
• financial conflict
• group destruction