Film Review
1928 was a year of optimism in Europe. Ten years after the end of
the First World War, the spirit of Franco-German reconciliation was in
the air and both countries were looking forward to a future of peace
and prosperity. As part of the tenth anniversary celebration of
the signing of the 1918 Armistice, a series of films were commissioned,
of which the most significant is this epic documentary style depiction
of one of the most notorious WWI battles. The film was directed
by Léon Poirier, one of the great independent filmmakers of his
generation who was renowned as much for his humanist perspective as his
skill as a director.
Verdun, visions d'histoire is
markedly different from previous artistic endeavours made in France on
the subject of WWI. For one thing, it doesn't attempt to
apportion blame for what happened, nor does it demonise the German
people. Instead, what it delivers is an authentic reconstruction
of the battle of Verdun, showing the obscene folly of war without
over-dramatising it, to provide a stark plea to future generations
never to go down the same path again.
What is most striking about the film is its trenchant realism, which is
achieved principally by use of exterior locations that were the sites
where much of the fighting took place in 1916 - sites that still bore
the heavy scars of conflict. Most of the cast was made up of
ex-service men who had served in WWI, including the actor Albert
Préjean, who would have a huge career in France after the
war. So convincing are the battle scenes that they are often
inserted into other films and documentaries as if they were stock shots
taken from the real battle.
There is also a poetic dimension to this film, with the harsh realism
periodically undercut by some surprising expressionistic touches that
bring in elements of subjectivity. These are achieved through
some effective use of superposition which illustrate what the
protagonists are imagining and feeling as the world around them is
transformed into an incomprehensible nightmare. The most
memorable of these is the highly poignant scene where a wounded soldier
on the battlefield imagines the spirits of his fallen comrades being
taken to Heaven on a stretcher by the ghosts of their mothers.
Then, later, we see the ghosts of the dead soldiers reclaiming a fort
which they had earlier tried in vain to defend against a German
onslaught.
The film is divided into three parts, which are described somewhat
prosaically as
Visions.
These are: (1) La
Force,
which shows the build up to the conflict, the evacuation of the
civilian population, and the opening of hostilities with German cannon
fire; (2)
L'Enfer,
which
focuses on the German offensive, including the taking of the fort at
Vaux, which allowed the German army to break through the French lines;
and (3)
Le Destin,
dealing
with the French counter-attack that succeeded thanks to the
Franco-British campaign on the Somme which successfully divided the
German forces.
Not only is
Verdun, visions
d'histoire a stunningly realised war film with intellectual and emotional
impact but it also has immense educational value, encouraging the
spectator to learn more about the subject. Admittedly, its
analysis of the origins of the conflict are a tad
simplistic, but its recording of the various stages in the battle is
meticulous and overall the film gives an illuminating insight into one of the bloodiest battles in human history.
Until quite recently, the film only existed in a cut down, poor quality
print. Following the discovery of a complete print in Moscow, the
film underwent a painstaking process of restoration in 2006 by Immagine
Ritrovata de Bologne, under the direction of the
Cinémathèque de Toulouse. Now fully restored, the
film emerges unequivocally as one of the most important war films of
the Twentieth Century.
Verdun, visions d'histoire
ranks alongside Abel Gance's
J'Accuse (1919) and Raymond
Bernard's
Les Croix du bois (1932) as one
of French cinema's greatest war films. Not only is it a work of
great historic importance, giving a valuable visual record of a WWI
battle in its shocking entirety, but it provides a powerful yet subtle
anti-war message.
© James Travers 2008
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Early in 1916, a young French soldier returns home to break the news to
his mother that he is soon to be sent to the front near Verdun, an area
that has so far been untouched by the conflict. Shortly after his
arrival, the German offensive begins. Under the orders of the
German Crown Prince, Verdun must be taken in a relentless assault,
bleeding the French army into submission. From 21st February to
15th December 1916, a fierce conflict rages in the area around Verdun,
devastating the region and resulting in casualties on both sides that
will run into hundreds of thousands...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.