Scenes and images from the French Communist Party's (PCF) 1937 Congress in Arles. La Grande Espérance highlights some of the PCF's new concerns under the Popular Front: a warning against international fascism, a desire for organic unity, and the defense of national heritage and regional cultures. It also reveals the first signs of a cult of personality surrounding Maurice Thorez. La Grande Espérance was screened (and possibly re-edited) after the Liberation. A commentary was then added to the credits emphasizing the continuity of the Communist Party’s political line and the sacrifice of its activists during the war. Today, only this post-1945 version exists.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 Maurice ThorezHimself | Himself |
 Marcel CachinHimself | Himself |
 Jacques DuclosHimself | Himself |
| DDanièle CasanovaHerself | Herself |
| BBenoît FrachonHimself | Himself |
| GGeorges PolitzerHimself | Himself |
| MMarie PolitzerHerself | Herself |
| JJoseph RamierHimself | Himself |
| MMartha DesrumeauxHerself | Herself |
| PPierre SemardHimself | Himself |
| JJulien RacamondHimself | Himself |
| JJean-Richard BlochHimself | Himself |