Under siege
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The French film festival, `France Sous L'Occupation,' accurately portrayed France under German occupation during World War II
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Scene from `Douce'
THE YEAR 1941 was a dark day for France - it was the day Nazi Germany overran the last French outpost. France under German occupancy saw a lot of subversive activity and the birth of a very strong resistance movement. Cinema, the seventh art, contributed its might to the French struggle towards freedom of expression. More than 200 films were made during the occupation and the makers tried different methods to get by the censors and propagate a message of hope to the people ground by the oppressive rule of the Nazis.
The festival French films during German Occupation jointly organised by the Embassy of France, the Alliance Francaise and the Federation of Film Societies of India in collaboration with the Hyderabad Film Club at Sarathi Studios was a unique opportunity to see a kind of filmmaking that has long passed into the textbooks as well as study a way of life long gone by.
Scene from `Le Corbeau'
It was only natural that the opening film be Bertrand Tavernier's "Laissez Passer" (Safe Conduct), which follows the fortunes of Jean Devaivre, an assistant director and Jean Aurenche, a famous screenwriter, who work in Continental, a German movie company producing the French movies strictly monitoring them for content. The film addresses powerful questions like should one be working for the enemy as well as the reality that one needs to eat to survive. Devaivre is working for the Resistance and has some incredible adventures where he happens upon secret plans, gets across the Channel, delivers the plans in England and returns in time for the shoot using every means of transport available including his trusty bicycle.
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While content was carefully monitored during the period, it was also the time when French directors could experiment with bold subjects like Devaivre comments, the Germans had no problem with Henri-Georges Clouzot's "Le Corbeau" even though it dealt with explosive topics like abortion and desire, as the film did not attack Nazi rule.
"Le Corbeau," which was released in 1943, is way ahead of its time in its subject matter and treatment. Remi Germain is a doctor in a little town with a secret. The fabric of the town is torn apart as vicious letters signed Le Corbeau, (the raven) accuse all the townsfolk of abominable deeds.
Germain is specially targeted as an abortionist and accused of having an affair with Laura, the wife of the hospital psychiatrist. The film works as a whodunit as well as a brilliant psychological and sociological study of a town under siege of a malicious influence - the parallels with German occupation is there for all to see. The camera work is extraordinarily atmospheric. The film, which was based on a true incident that took place in Tulle in the 1920s, is the spiritual forebear of all the many noir films that dot our mindscape.
Scene from `Remorques'
A movie like "Douce" (1943) maybe a simple love story but carries a sub-text of class divides and struggles. Seventeen-year-old Douce is in love with the manager Marani. Douce's governess Irene is Marani's mistress but dreams of becoming the mistress of the manor by marrying Douce's father the widower Engelbert De Bonafé. Watching the entire goings on is Douce's grandmother the redoubtable Countess De Bonafé.
"Les Enfants Du Paradis" (1945) is yet another epic love story, the centre of which is Baptiste, a mime artiste and Claire Reine, an actress. One of the actors in the film, Robert Le Vigan was arrested for being a Nazi collaborator and the film provided work and cover for many members of the French resistance. "Remorques" (1940) was also affected by the War as the shooting started in 1939 and was halted because of the War. Shooting resumed in the summer of 1940 and the storm scenes had to be shot from scratch.
Scene from `Laissez Passer.'
"Remorques" tells the story of Andre Laurent, the captain of a tugboat, who loves the sea and his wife of ten years. With a strong sense of duty Andre goes to the aid of a ship in trouble where he meets the mysterious Katherine who wants to leave her husband.
He falls deeply in love with Katherine and the movie ends Andre weathering many personal storms and returning to the sea to confidently face the physical storm the sea throws up.
Scene from `La Nuit Fantastique.'
"La Nuit Fantastique" (1941) is a charming story of a philosophy student who follows his dream and wakes up to a fantastic reality where runaway heiresses jostle for space with irate mistresses and greedy guardians who cook up fantastic plots to grab the inheritance.
The film festival, apart from being an accurate comment on how the art flourishes under duress was also a wonderful opportunity to study a particular time and space - it was quite something to remind oneself, that what one was watching was not an accurate detailing of the period but the actual period in question!
MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER
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