French Cinema of the Occupation

French Cinema of the Occupation MLL 235

Europe in 1939

The War Begins Sept. 1, 1939 – Nazi Germany invades Poland Three days later, France declares war The first ten months are calm - the Germans do not arrive on French soil This is “la drôle de guerre” (the phony war)

The Phony War(“drôle de guerre”)

War hits home May 10, 1940 – Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, Belgium begins and later France German army enters an undefended Paris on June 14, 1940 The occupation of France begins

France Divided Marshall Henri- Philippe Pétain signs an armistice with Hitler in June of 1940 Pétain heads up the government of Vichy

France Divided • France is divided into two zones • North – “occupied zone” - administered by the Germans • South – “free zone” – controlled by Pétain’s Vichy government • Is actually a satellite government of Berlin

The Resistance Movement • General Charles de Gaulle left for London to set up a government in exile • From London, he organizes the Resistance • On June 18, 1940 in a famous radio broadcast, he appeals to the French

Radio Broadcast of June 18 Listen to l’appel du 18 juin

French Cinema ofthe Occupation • Surprisingly, French cinema entered into one of its greatest periods • Large crowds were drawn to the theaters (which were heated in winter) • British and American films were banned, which facilitated the production of new French films • Given the choice between German, Italian or French films, moviegoers overwhelmingly preferred French films

The Exodus ofCinema Celebrities The first Cannes film festival was scheduled to begin on Sept. 1, 1939 (the day Poland was invaded) Was canceled Did not begin until after the end of the war (Sept. 19, 1946)

The Exodus of Cinema Celebrities Jean Gabin went to the US where he signed a contract with Fox His American films did not succeed He enrolled in the Free French Navy Did not regain his reputation in France until the 1950s

Exodus ofCinema Celebrities Michèle Morgan (Gabin’s lover in Port of Shadows) Also fled to Hollywood Signed a contract with RKO – films not successful Originally chosen for the leading role in Casablanca

Exodus of Cinema Celebrities Danielle Darrieux One of France’s most celebrated film stars Left for Hollywood – signed with Universal Studios During the Occupation, she worked for Continental

Charles Boyer1897-1978 His career began in Paris in the 1920s Star of both stage and screen Then signed a contract with MGM and left for Hollywood First made French versions of MGM films for French market

Charles Boyer Costarred with the most famous actresses of the time: Ingrid Bergman, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo Joined the French army and fought until the defeat in 1940 In all, he made more than 80 films Romantic image of “Frenchness”

Charles BoyerGaslight, 1939

Maurice Chevalier1988-1972 Career began in the 1920s Then signed a contract with Paramount Singer actor – stereotypical image of the “typical Parisian”

Maurice ChevalierDenies Accusations • During the war, he entertained French troops in Germany • Later, he was accused of having collaborated with the Germans

Maurice ChevalierGigi, 1958

Exodus byFilm Directors Jean Renoir fled to Hollywood Directed 6 films Tepid reception Zanuck wanted French films for Americans Renoir wanted American films seen through French eyes

Exodus of French Directors Jacques Becker Henri-Georges Clouzot Robert Bresson Exodus of famous directors allowed for the meteoric rise of assistant directors

French Cinemaand Vichy • Slogan of the Vichy government: • Travail (Work) • Famille (Family) • Patrie (Country)

Vichy • Created the commission for Jewish Affairs • Fervent anti-Semitic sentiment • New laws (Sept. 1940) – proof of “non-Jewishness” • New laws prohibited Jewish participation in any aspect of the film industry • Began the “purification” process of the cinematographic profession

Vichy • Period of massive arrests and deportations began in 1942 • Many were arrested, deported • Some were able to flee abroad • A few (like Joseph Kosma) were able to work underground • French police participated in virtually all anti-Semitic round-ups in both the occupied and free zones

Vélodrome d’hiver(Winter Velodrome) On July 16, 1942 nearly 13,000 Jews were rounded up by French police, held at the indoor velodrome and eventually shipped off to Auschwitz Of the thousands of Jews arrested during the “Vel d’hiv” incident, only 400 survived For years, France refused any responsibility for its role in the incident

Vel d’hiv (Gilles Paquet-Brenner, 2010) (Rose Bosch, 2010) Recent Films about the Vel d’hiv:

Jacques Chirac ApologizesJune 16, 1995 "These black hours will stain our history forever and are an injury to our past and our traditions. Yes, the criminal madness of the occupier was supported ('secondée') by the French, by the French state. Fifty-three years ago, on 16 July 1942, 450 policemen and gendarmes, French, under the authority of their leaders, obeyed the demands of the Nazis. That day, in the capital and the Paris region, nearly 10,000 Jewish men, women and children were arrested at home, in the early hours of the morning, and assembled at police stations… France, home of the Enlightenment and the Rights of Man, land of welcome and asylum. France committed the irreparable that day. Breaking its word, it delivered those it was protecting to their executioners. “

The C.O.I.C.(Organizational Committee for the Cinematographic Industry) C.O.I.C. = Created on Oct. 26, 1940 The Germans placed control of the film industry under the auspices of this committee There were both positive and negative results of this decision

The C.O.I.C. • On the positive side: • The committee imposed a structure on the industry that assured the financing of film projects • American and British films were forbidden, thus creating a demand for French films

The C.O.I.C. • On the negative side • The C.O.I.C. controlled every aspect of the industry • Films that did not conform to the values of the time were subject to censure • Jews were excluded from the industry • All employees were forced to obtain a “carte professionnelle” –professional card (the purpose of which was to prove you were not Jewish)

The C.O.I.C. • More negatives • Producers had to obtain a triple license for all stages of production • (1) A production visa • (2) A management via • (3) An exportation visa • Only non-Jewish directors were the recipients • Severe shortage of film stock • Elimination of double programming in theaters

Propaganda and Censorship • COIC controlled subject matter of films • No representations of the working class • No allusions to contemporary events • No reference to German occupation • Authority figures could not be ridiculed • Vulgarity and slang were banned • French productions however never openly reflect any major theme of Vichy propaganda

Continental Films Created Oct. 3, 1940; mission was to produce French films Was funded by German capital; was thus a German company Alfred Greven managed the new studios Continental remained the major film studio of the Occupation despite the exodus of directors, actors and technicians

Continental Films Had more money than French production companies Also had first call on all raw materials, including film stock, material for set construction and increasingly scarce electricity Continental produced 30 of the approximately 220 films made—more than any other company in France

Continental Films Films produced by the Continental Film company were not primarily propaganda films encouraged by the Germans For the most part, they were light entertainment films that followed the Hollywood formula One masterpiece: Clouzot’s The Raven

Laissez-passer(Safe Conduct) • 2002 film about Continental • Tells the story of the German film company from the viewpoint of two employees—one a collaborationist, the other a resistor

The Raven (1943)(Le corbeau) Continental’s one great masterpiece Based on a true story A small town is overwhelmed by a campaign of anonymous letters Citizens begin to doubt one another, then denounce each other

The Raven (1943)Henri-Georges Clouzot • The film was criticized on both sides • Resistance considered the film pro-Nazi and collaborationist • Vichy demanded the film be banned for its immoral values

The Raven (1943) • After the Liberation: • May 7, 1945 – Clouzot was condemned to a lifetime professional suspension • Sentence later reduced to 2 years • Question of whether the film is anti-French or anti-Occupation remains arguable • Public later forgave Clouzot’s association with Continental Studios

Working Conditions Under the Occupation • Shortages, rationing, scarcity of apartments • Manpower shortage • Led to STO – forced labor program • Scarcity of materials; theaters were destroyed by bombs, poor quality film stock • Shortage of electricity, heating

STO(Service du travail obligatoire) In Feb. 1943, the Germans instituted a forced labor policy, supported by Vichy Law – the STO Under this law, nearly 700,000 French workers were sent to work in Germany The film industry fared better than most; few film workers were conscripted

STO(Service du travail obligatoire) • One indirect and unexpected consequence of thee STO was to cause cinema receipts in France to fall • A large percentage of the movie-going public now lived in Germany • For those who remained, cinema-going became a dangerous activity • The Germans conducted round-ups in the theaters

The Film Industryand the Jews • Sept. 9, 1940 – two German ordinances • The first mandated that all exhibitors and distributors receive permission to operate from the Military Command • Enacted to ensure that only non-Jews could own exhibition and distribution firms • The second required all films to be passed by the German authorities before they could be shown • It both limited the number of films available and assured that no films made by Jewish personnel would be exhibited

The Film Industryand the Jews • Sept. 1941 – the Germans compiled two lists of proscribed personnel • The first was a list of non-Jewish personnel whose films were not to be allowed exhibition • The second was a list of French Jews in the film industry

Working Conditions Many employees had to work clandestinely because of their affiliation with the Resistance or because they were Jewish In Nice, Victorine Studios became a center for clandestine workers Marcel Carné made Devil’s Envoy and Children of Paradise in Nice

Children of Paradise Again, Carné collaborated with Prévert Premiered in Paris on March 9, 1945 (after the Liberation) The narrative relates the experiences of four men, all of whom are linked by their passion for the same woman

Children of Paradise Garance = Arletty Baptiste (mime) = Jean Louis Barrault Frederick Lemaître (actor) = Pierre Brasseur Pierre-François Lacenaire (thief ) = Marcel Herrand Count Edouard de Montray (aristocrat) = Louis Salou

Children of Paradise • Setting: 1830s France • Because of the restriction against using contemporary events, Carné was forced to delve into France’s past for his story line • Film is divided into two eras: • Boulevard du crime (Boulevard of Crime) • L’homme blanc (The Man in White) • Two Theaters • Théâtre des Funambules (Tightrope Walkers) • Grand Théâtre

Resistance • Resistance strengthened as war went on • Strengthened by Vichy’s agreement to send French workers to Germany • Strengthened by arrival of Jean Moulin who organized the main Resistance organizations into the CNR (National Resistance council) • Played an important role at the time of the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944

French Cinema of the Occupation