Film Review
In November 1944, with France liberated from Nazi occupation but the
war in Europe far from over, the Comité de libération du
cinéma français commissioned this propaganda piece with
two objectives: to glorify the role of the Resistance whilst condemning
the Vichy régime and all those who had supported it. To
supplement the archive material (which includes newsreel footage from
both Germany and the Allies) and secretly shot footage during the
Occupation, reconstructions were filmed in the spring of 1945.
Jean-Paul Le Chanois was appointed to take charge of the film, mainly
because of his close affiliation with the French Communist Party.
Whilst
Au coeur de l'orage
makes a brave attempt to cover the full span of France's involvement in
the war from 1940 to 1944 it ultimately coalesces around one incident -
the attempt by resistance fighters in the Vercors to hold out against a
fierce German offensive in 1944. The difficulties of constructing
a coherent narrative from the fragmentary material is apparent in the
disjointed end result, and the strident anti-Vichy tirades sit ill
alongside the moving accounts of heroism and sacrifice in the fight
against Fascism.
Successive rewrites delayed the film's release and by the time it saw
the light of day, in 1948, the political landscape in France had
changed so much that it was already seriously dated. The film may
have been a commercial success, attracting 1.6 million spectators, but
it had far less impact than other films glorifying the Resistance,
notably René Clément's
La Bataille du rail (1946).
Whilst it may not be the most subtle and well-constructed of propaganda
films,
Au coeur de l'orage
still provides an arresting visual record of France's involvement in
the Second World War, and a worthy tribute to those who fought and died
to secure the cherished prize of freedom.
© James Travers 2013
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Jean-Paul Le Chanois film:
L'École buissonnière (1949)
Film Synopsis
Throughout the dark years of Occupation, France continues the fight
against Nazi Germany, through its secret army of brave resistance
fighters. Whilst the country's political leaders abase themselves
as Hitler's servants, anonymous heroes keep up the struggle to free
France. Nowhere is the courage of the resistance fighters more
evident than in the Vercors, a natural stronghold that has so far held
out against the might of the German armies...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.