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By
DEBORAH NICOL
In a Nazi-occupied France,
one either remains quiet and cooperates, or rebels
and risks imprisonment. The unimaginable (if one
has not experienced it) process of dealing with
air raids and living in fear of punishment for not
strictly adhering to another military culture's
rules forces the everyman to decide at what cost
will he live his life the way he wishes to live
it.
Director Bertrand Tavernier ("L.627," "It All
Starts Today") focuses on the unknowingly
overlapping true lives of assistant director
Jean-Devaivre and writer Jean Aurenche. Devaivre
(played with cool frustration by Jacques Gamblin)
safely but with much hesitation begins to work for
German-owned film company Continental. Considering
the survival of his family he quietly compromises
his beliefs while slyly helping the Resistance
when the opportunity arises. Aurenche (a frazzled
Denis Podalydès) lives day-by-day, woman-by-woman,
avoiding any connection to the Germans. His
passions for the freedom of Jews and fellow
Frenchman are barely contained inside him, and his
tendency to explode when provoked makes him a
dangerous acquaintance.
The choices of these two men represent the
extremes of a war-torn world. Whether it is best
to fight outwardly or secretly, the effects of the
decision can be monumental. While working merely
to survive, can a medium of entertainment be
helpful to the struggling people, especially if
what makes it to the screen has only a shell of
its initial meaning? There are so many roads that
can be traveled at these important times, but will
the grit that remains in the wheels after such
journeys be significant?
Tavernier is successful at portraying the chaos of
the period and the amazing ability to endure by
the French during World War II. As each life
glides against another, a world of choices is
revealed. And if each survives to the next
generation, who will have had the greatest impact?
In presenting this historical tale, Tavernier does
not merely lay out facts, but raises questions
defining humanity.
A thoughtful film, rich in life's detail. DVD
extras include a photo gallery. |
