What do you remember about The Last Metro?
GERARD DEPARDIEU: To begin with, I had a problem with François Truffaut.
I found his films 'bourgeois, ” and I told him straight off:
“It's funny,
I don't know why, but I have certain prejudices against you,
maybe because you're a real rascal.”
I remember I had stupid reactions
to films like Loveon the Run.
I thought all the movies he did with Claude Jade were too ”bourgeois. ”
And I had a tendency to say that The 400 Blows
was a bit overblown.
Once, I told him all that;
and he just said: ”I see, I see. ”
But I finished by saying:
“Maybe it's because you really are a rascal...”
In fact...
he was someone who understood how to love.
He portrayed things simply.
It was Gérard Lebovici who introduced us.
It happened very casually.
You'd think it'd bore him, but it didn't.
Straight off, we dropped the formal address.
He wanted to meet you.
I believe so, yes...
I didn't know anything about the Occupation,
nor about cinema, after all.
But it was after meeting François,
that my thinking changed radically
in terms of making movies.
Jean-Pierre Azéma, I wanted you to do this commentary
because you're a historian, an expen' on World War II
and the Occupation. Among other things, of course.
I wanted to get your viewpoint on this film
by François Truffaut.
JEAN-PIERRE AZEMA: First; why the title, The Last Metro?
It refers to the curfew
which began at midnight in Paris.
Being caught out by the police, either French or German,
meant being detained
at the police station for at least one night,
and risking becoming a hostage.
Hostages never knew what would happen to them.
They could be shot.
So it was crucial not to miss the last metro
which left the head of the line at 11:00 pm.
It was important for Parisians who went out at night
not to be caught out on the streets after midnight.
Theaters let out for the last metro.
Exactly. You couldn't daily.
In the evening, all shows, concerts, and movies
started between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m., never any later than that.
It's true that going to the theater was very popular.
Statistics show that in December 1942
800,000 people went to the theater during that one month.
That's a lot. In other words, Parisians,
like most French people,
went out, went to the cinema...
For example,
200 million tickets were sold at cinema box offices in 1938
and 300 million in 1943.
People needed to escape,
and sometimes, just to keep warm.
Times were, if not harsh,
relatively grim
and even darker for some.
In particular, the Jews.
So people were looking for entertainment, for distraction.
Parisians flocked to concerts,
to the cinema, and especially to the theater.
And theaters played to...
fuller houses than before the war.
- Who's that boy? - It's Jacquot; the son of the landlady.
She works at the theater.
What did that guy do to you?
He didn't hurt me. He patted me on the head.
Then let's go home and wash your hair.
Jacquot, come back here at once! That's enough.
- Here's - - Depardieu in a jacket
which fits the period.
Those sheepskin-lined jackets were fashionable back then.
Resistance fighters, rightly or wrongly,
are often shown wearing them in films.
They were relatively warm and comfortable.
The Occupation years had very harsh winters.
Especially the winters of 1940, and 1943-1944.
Here you see some extras,
but in this film, Truffaut didn't use many decors.
It was shot in an abandoned factory in Levallois, in a back courtyard.
He wasn't interested in a grandiose set.
He had a limited budget and wasn't interested
in doing a reconstruction of occupied Paris.
He chose to keep it small, one theater,
and limited it to a very specific milieu,
that of actors and performers.
The Jewish character we will meet
isn't a stereotypical tailor from the Je wish ghettos of Paris.
He's a theater owner,
but through this world, Truffaut gives us a vision
of the different ways people lived in those dark years.
It's a nice theater.
It's a change from the Grand Guignol, that's for sure.
It's at least twice as big. I've been here before in the audience.
I saw Mme. Steiner in The Cherry Orchard by Chekhov.
Any news of Lucas Steiner?
He asks about Lucas Steiner...
Steiner is an Austrian Jew and thus a stateless Jew,
which makes him extremely vulnerable
because of both the laws of the Vichy government
and the German ordinances.
According to the former, foreign Jews could be interned at any time
by prefecture! decision, without appeal.
For the Germans, they were fodder
for the French camp at Drancy, the anteroom to the death camps.
They were defined as “stateless,”
which meant they were at the “mercy,” excuse the expression,
of the occupying power.
What's more, the film is set in September 1942.
The extermination process, the Final Solution,
had been in operation in France since the spring of '42,
and in Paris since the massive roundup of Jews on July 16-17
in the Winter Velodrome.
Marion, I know as well as you do that Rosen's Aryan certificate is a fake.
But believe me, nobody will check it with a magnifying glass.
He doesn't even have a work permit.
If he claims he lost it, he'll be able to get a duplicate.
With all the connections we have -
We may need them for something more important.
But with the papers he's got, he's managed to work so far.
He's been working on a film, and no one has asked him any questions
He's lucky they're so careless.
But here, we stick to the rules.
The rules.
Theoretically, it was against the law.
Article five of the Statute on Jews promulgated by Vichy
prohibited any Jewish actor or theater director,
either French Jews,
“Israelites,” as they were called, or foreign Jews,
from continuing to act or run a theater.
So here we have a scene
in which a Jewish actor comes to audition.
Well, there were, in fact,
ways to get around it -
Listen to the dialogue here.
I'd expect this anywhere else,
but never in Lucas Steiner's own theater.
It's outrageous.
When were these laws against Jews enacted?
The first, the Statute on Jews, was passed on October 3, 1940.
It specifically targeted Jews in the media,
the press, the cinema, the theater.
So French Jews, and especially foreign Jews, became nonentities.
If I must take my pants off to prove I'm not a Jew, thanks, but no thanks.
- No. - No, thank you.
Besides, I refuse to take the part of another actor.
No, no. You've got it all wrong. That actor I just turned down
wasn't being considered for the role of the tutor, but as the gamekeeper
in the third act at the end of the play.
- No, because - - Believe me.
- Because that kind of situation - - Believe me, Granger.
You were my first choice for Marion's leading man.
You must understand our position.
We're not sure yet we'll be able to perform.
We're still waiting on the censor's permit.
This is Bernard Granger. - Hello.
What stands out in this film, as in many of Truffaut's films,
is how much authority the women have, by their nature.
Catherine Deneuve's character, Marion, has authority.
She runs a theater, but we feel she's a woman...
GERARD DEPARDIEU Catherine often has authority.
And in any case, Truffaut's women...
are never victims or submissive.
Not even young Sabine Haudepin.
Catherine has natural authority, which I adore.
She moves and gets things moving.
Andréa Ferréol too, when Granger says: “There are two women in you.”
Even Sabine... - Does as she likes.
That's what is interesting about his films: the men are feminine
and the women are tough.
It's a Norwegian play
by a Norwegian playwright, Karen Bergen.
You don't get more Norwegian than that!
Lucas discovered it and had it translated.
Here is a young actress who comes for an audition...
who's very ambitious, played by Sabine Haudepin.
JEAN-PIERRE AZEMA: It's okay to put on a Norwegian play.
Obviously, it wasn't written by a Jew.
Had it been a Norwegian Jew, the Germans would've banned it.
Hello. We have a friend in common.
Lucien. We were expecting you at his party.
Massoulier? I couldn't come.
We'll be seeing each other again. I'm signing the contract.
I hereby declare that I am not Jewish,
and to the best of my knowledge, neither my parents...
- So you had to certify - - Right.
Certify that you. - -
That you didn't have three Jewish grandparents
or two Jewish grandparents and a Jewish spouse
because that would make you Jewish.
Every actor had to sign...
Right, otherwise they couldn't act.
There was a committee that gave out a certificate
and if there was a problem,
it'd be settled by the General Commission for Jewish issues.
Was it the same in the free zone?
Yes, because, obviously, the Vichy laws
applied in the so-called “free zone” in the south.
It was more complicated in the north because they were under Vichy law
as well as German ordinances...
- Oh, you're here. - I was waiting for you, Jean-Loup.
Right.
Oh, shit. Daxiat.
Here we catch a glimpse of the character, Daxiat,
who will have to be reckoned with.
Yes, and we know who he was.
In real life, Daxiat was a man named Laubreaux
who wrotefor Je suis partout
and became a sort of theater czar.
Je suis partout was a collaborationist weekly.
Maybe he didn't call the shots,
but he was widely read by the Germans in the Propagandastaffel,
the German censors.
He was someone who became a son' of theater czar.
It was the ultra-rightwing minority having its revenge,
playing it up like little lords
on the Parisian scene.
- He also wrote plays? - He wrote one play,
apparently it flopped, under the pen name of Dex/at.
That's where Daxiat comes from?
Yes, exactly.
It was called The Pirates of Paris
and basically, it was about the life, the evil ways
and misdoings of Stavisky,
an infamous crook of the mid '30s.
So Daxiat's appearance in the background
is Truffaut's way of telling us he's a threat.
Exactly.
He could be a formidable enemy
because, indirectly, he could get a play banned
by the German censors.
- Or have a theater closed. - Right.
Only indirectly, since it was the Germans who did it.
He belonged to the group of young Turks
who had taken over the far-right weekly Je suis partout
in 1935, 1936, 1937
under the direction
of Robert Brasillach and Lucien Rebatet.
Je suis partout had a circulation of 200, 000
and was widely read in Parisian circles.
It was not only a paper with an extreme political bias,
it was also a “quality” weekly,
highly regarded for its reviews.
Not necessarily Laubreaux's reviews, but film criticism
written, for example, by Rebatet or Brasillach.
Rebate! signed his articles “Viinneuil. ”
Right, François Vinneuil.
He was a film critic and a music critic.
He was a very knowledgeable musicologist.
And he became famous in 7942 for publishing Les Décombres,
a best seller in collaborationist circles.
So Laubreaux was the theater critic and was quite puffed up about it.
He was feared because he had a lot of influence.
He could make or break reputations.
He was widely read by people in the Propaganda Abteilung,
the propaganda office of the German occupiers.
And that way I'll be available to help you all. That's it.
What was the German position on theater
and the arts in France, that they should continue to thrive?
Contrary to what we might think,
it wasn't to censor or ban,
but to give the appearance of activity.
It was ambivalent, on the part of Goebbels
and the others in charge of propaganda.
On the one hand, they wanted to crush
what they called “French cultural imperialism. ”
They were sure
that in a few years Germany would replace France culturally
but at the same time, they wanted to maintain order.
Raymond, come quickly! I'm scared. I hear noises in the theater.
Don't worry, Germaine. I'll take a look.
Anybody here?
What are you doing here?
How did you get in, Martine? - I used the door.
Say, I watched the rehearsal. It looks great.
I told you to wait outside, Martine.
Calm down. Look what I've got here.
Still interested?
I had no money...
A reference to the black market.
The black market was essential.
A rather dubious female character
who brings him a ham.
A ham they say costs 4,200 francs.
If it was 4,200 francs then, we'd have to multiply that by 1.7
to get today's equivalent: 6,000 francs or $1,000.
- For that ham. - Yes, 6,000 francs...
It's expensive.
But it wasn't easy to get ham in Paris
unless you had black market connections.
All the prices you hear should be multiplied by 1.7
to get the equivalent in modern francs.
So, 6,000 francs per night, the cost of the sets - They barely break even.
At this rate, they're going to lose money.
- I'm ready. Shall we go? - Yes.
Here, the relationships, life on the stage -
it's relatively sheltered because it's a closed environment.
Here people know each other, rehearse together.
Then there's outside, the night, and the strange behavior
of Marion Steiner.
Before midnight, there's no danger.
Well, you could be arrested, but certainly, being out after midnight
was a dangerous game.
I have your ham, Mme. Steiner. That's 4,200 francs.
- 4,200 francs? - Yes, it's over 14 lbs.
If you think it's too expensive, I can give it back easily.
No. It'll last me the whole winter.
4,200, right? - Yes, 4,200.
There were lots of tricks for getting around the restrictions.
There was the black market,
which became, especially after 1942, part of daily life for the French,
but only if you had money.
Otherwise, you stood in line.
We don't see any lines in the film.
But we do see a ham.
It's a milieu that's fairly wealthy.
I'm off, Mme. Steiner. Don't forget the lights and shutters.
The new air raid warden is a real bastard.
This refers to the Civil Defense plan against air raids.
In order not to be detected by English bombers,
no lights were allowed to show outside.
You could be heavily fined or even closed down.
Now she's hiding her ham.
And then she's supposed to leave the theater as usual.
Sir?
Valentin is a French film director who offers Marion a role.
- People still wrote... - And made films.
220 feature-length films were made.
French cinema was booming during the Occupation.
More movies were made than in the pre-war years.
This character could be one of the directors
who was working on a film in 7942, there were many.
Among them, some big names: Bresson, Becker, Clouzot.
The biggest film of those dark years would soon be released:
The Devil's Envoys in thefall of 1942.
A film that rocked audiences.
I keep getting mail...
It's her husband's mail, but he is supposedly left France.
So she has to be very careful.
Should I return it to the senders?
What's your opinion of the hairstyles?
Catherine Deneuve is wearing makeup and a hat, her hair is styled.
Fashion seems to be alive and well, despite the hard times.
Especially the hats, some were pretty extravagant.
This one's quite modest; but some of the hats women were -
People say they did it to show the occupier
that Parisians still held their heads high.
Once again, if you had the money, you dressed up
to show that you were holding up despite the hardships.
Or more mundanely, it could just be
that people felt like going out.
But you had to have money to do so. We're among the well-to-do here.
Look at her coat, for example.
Grantee; it's cola; but it's a nice coat.
There was no restriction on furs,
the rich could buy fur coats.
For other things, like stockings, it was much more complicated.
It's cold. She blocks the draft.
- She spreads her coat on the bed. - It's very cold.
There wasn't any heating,
not even in luxury hotels.
There's the metro, once again.
He's growing tobacco?
Tobacco was complicated, it was a rare commodity.
You never threw out cigarette butts.
People grew everything, wherever they could.
On their balconies, some raised rabbits
or even poultry.
People improvised, they had to be resourceful.
Those who weren't, didn't have much.
Until about 1942 the purer souls, shall we say,
tried to respect the law, but later, everyone was just trying to get by.
This is a woman who goes out...
This actress goes out with the occupier.
In 1944, when Paris was liberated, she'd have to pay for it.
There were a lot more Franco-German love affairs
than people later cared to admit.
The character's reasoning
is that she wants to work, no matter what.
Truffaut is making a statement...
What's your excuse today?
Your alarm didn't go off? - No, I was dubbing.
Through this character, who isn't judged negatively,
the idea of wanting to work, being ambitious,
being young, is portrayed as if...
it were a valid reason that had to be accepted.
You had no choice.
No, you had a choice, actions should be considered.
She's a little extreme. She has no conscience.
- She's dropped off by the Germans. - Yes.
It's a little ambiguous.
If you want to fire me, say so, because Sacha Guitry is casting...
She mentions Guilty.
A big star, whom Truffaut admired.
There were many more Franco-German love affairs
than are generally admitted.
On the streets of Paris there were an estimated 100,000 prostitutes,
non-professionals, which is a lot.
It's also estimated that about 40,000 children
were born of these various Franco-German love affairs.
They're just estimates, in both cases,
but it's worth mentioning.
Is that her?
Yes, that's her.
- She's still quite beautiful. - What do you mean “still”?
The House of Sin came out the year of my Communion.
You saw the film? How did you manage that?
I didn't, but I swiped all the stills from the Roxy Theatre,
including the famous one.
You're right. She's beautiful.
But she's strange. I can't figure her out.
Let's make the phone call.
Now comes the 'Secrecy' scene, so to speak.
Surprisingly, Marion returns to the theater
when she's supposed to have gone back to her hotel.
This is when we discover...
the “Secret Behind the Door.”
Doesn't turn on the electricity.
A hurricane lamp.
It feels like The Last Metro revolves around Catherine Deneuve.
That's certainly true.
Not only is she the main character...
GERARD DEPARDIEU François saw in Catherine
the quintessence of a theater director.
Everything she does, like in her homes -
She walks into a place and knows all about it. It's fascinating.
Wherever she goes: a foreign country, a restaurant;
she knows all about it, who does what.
She knows everything.
She knows the windows, the curtains, the fabric of the curtains.
She's a boss.
I've got bad news for you, Lucas.
- The Germans banned the play? - No.
You can't leave next week.
The lead I had fell through.
- You said it was a sure thing. - It's never sure.
The man who guides people through Nevers
was arrested.
I've got another lead, but it's risky.
- You're afraid he'll get caught too? - No, worse than that.
Some guides, or so-called guides, take your money
and time you straight up to the Kommandantur.
JEAN-PIERRE AZEMA: That was true.
Not all the passers, but some passers
did turn people in after being paid, and they were paid a lot.
They turned people in.
There was indeed a line of demarcation
which went by Nevers, by Moulins,
touched the Nivernais area, went up to Tours
and then down to the Atlantic coast.
It was strictly forbidden to cross this line,
and any Jews caught crossing this line
were automatically sent to Drancy, especially foreign Jews,
and then on to the death camps.
So for an Austrian Jew to attempt it...
The passers were French people in the area...
who knew where and how to get people across.
You had networks and also the country folk
who lived in the area,
usually in the villages straddling
the line of demarcation.
So you got addresses, connections, tips.
But you had to get the right person,
otherwise, it could be terrible, especially for a Jew.
Once over, he'd have been in the free zone?
- And after that? - He could've gone...
To Portugal?
For that, he'd have had to cross the Spanish border, the Pyrenees,
which would've been hard.
But he could've gone first to a small town
and tried to go on from there.
Many went down to the area of Nice.
They were relatively safe in this Italian-occupied zone
until the Germans invaded it
in September 1943 and arrested many Jews
who had taken refuge around Nice, in the department of Alpes-Maritimes.
So that was one option, but you needed money.
You needed quite a lot of money to be able to make it.
And certainly with his accent...
A French Jew might pass,
but with his accent he was very vulnerable.
He was both a foreigner and a Jew.
Remember, we're in 1942
and the Final Solution was already in operation
in the occupied countries of Western Europe.
Here, we have a domestic scene, their clandestine home life.
They seem to have
almost all the comforts of home here.
Just a minute.
Jean-Loup, it's for you. It's Daxiat.
- What does he want at this hour? - I don't know.
Hello, Daxiat.
What's up?
Everyone was talking about it yesterday on the last metro.
They may stop rehearsals of The Dead Queen at the Comédie-Française.
Why? Is Montherlant Jewish?
No, but you're pretty close.
Daxiat wants to expose all the Jews
who're still working at the Comédie-Française.
The Dead Queen would open on December 6“, 7.942,
so they were able to perform Montherlant's play
for an audience of Germans, theater-lovers, etc.
It would be a big hit; along with The Satin Slipper
and, later on, The Flies and No Exit.
Not only in Germany, but here too, Daxiat and the others.
All crazy.
You wanted to know what Bernard Granger looked like.
Perfect, he's just perfect.
At least with him we don't have to worry.
He looks like a goy.
What have you got against goyim?
Nothing.
Especially if they wear short skirts and have long hair.
You dirty racist! My mother warned me I'd never be happy with a Jew.
So who left France?
Not many, actually.
Most of them continued to act on the stage.
They thought it was important, even vital.
- There was a debate. - He shows that.
It was essential to keep performing no matter how hard times were.
Jouvet left.
He left to tour in Latin America and stayed there.
He went to Switzerland, then to Latin America,
he obviously felt better there.
Don't tell me you've got too much work.
There he is.
- There's Laubreaux. - A surprise visit.
He can do that, he has the power to barge in during a rehearsal.
They can't kick him out.
They're too afraid of what he'll write.
He is not the only critic, but Je suis partout
was very important in literary circles.
Moreover, the Germans read Je suis partout.
It wasn't just a cultural paper?
Mainly political, but the cultural section...
...had a lot of clout.
The articles were well-written, intelligent, among the best.
And at the same time, it was pro-collaboration.
It was very politically committed.
He is Daxiat, the drama critic for Je suis parlour.
Is that Daxiat? I had pictured him differently.
I'd love to meet him. - No shame, eh?
He's very important. I heard he might run the Comédie-Française.
This may sound strange coming from me,
but I think your husband, Lucas Steiner, was wrong to leave France.
The new anti-Israelite theater laws apply to speculators and profiteers.
But your husband, Mme. Steiner, was a gem.
He was the only Israelite theater director -
- You may say Jewish. - Yes.
He was the only one to be a leader,
stage director and an artist.
You see, the Germans are deeply attached to culture.
They don't want talented artists to leave France.
Could what he's saying be true?
Yes and no. As I said, it was ambivalent.
The Germans wanted cultural activities to continue
to show that all was in order.
They wanted to give the French
as little reason as possible to get upset.
They wanted them to forget
the German presence, the executions,
the German influence
by allowing cultural life to continue
“as usual,” in a manner of speaking.
At the same time, they hoped, in a decade or so,
Germany would win out.
That Berlin would become the capital of Europe.
And overshadow Paris.
- Here's the proof. - Fine. I'll take care of this.
Sure, he will.
To resolve a controversial case, he could serve as an intermediary.
It was the General Commission for Jewish issues,
the Paris office, that decided whether
so-and-so was Jewish according to Vichy's definition
in the Statute on Jews passed in October 1940.
Here, Depardieu is character refuses to shake Daxiat's hand.
We can interpret that as a pretty bold act.
Tell me, Jean-Loup. Doesn't he like women, your Daxiat?
- Mr. Daxiat, may I ask you a riddle? - A riddle?
Yes, a riddle.
This is a pun.
- A fishing rod. - But we also call it a “gaule”, right?
Now, if we put a second one next to it,
we get “Deux Gaulle”!
Bravo, Raymond.
Legend has it that during one of the first big demonstrations
on November 11, 1940, some of the students
marched up the Champs-Elysées carrying two “gaules”: de Gaulle.
That's what I've heard.
I speak to you from the printing press of this journal
that will continue to cry out the truth.
Yes, I say the French theater
must be purged of Jews from the rafters to the prompter's box.
If we allow a Jewish prompter to work even at an insignificant theater,
we will be taking the risk of seeing him control the destiny of the Paris Opéra.
Jews must be pushed off the stage and out of the wings,
and we must keep them out!
No Jew should ever be allowed again to own or direct or run a theater
because all the Jews who did
have brought to it their devious and corrupt methods.
This is probably Radio Paris,
the station that was controlled
by the Germans and dominated by collaboration/sis.
I think it's taken from Rebatet's book which Truffaut had in his library:
The Tribes of Theater and Cinema,
a pretty revolting book.
Yes.
Those in the Resistance said:
“Radio Paris is all lies. Radio Paris is German.”
- Hello. - Hello.
There you see the yellow star.
A German ordinance dating from the end of May
decreed that after June 61h everyone defined as a Jew
older than six had to wear a six-pointed yellow star
with “Jew” clearly written on it
and it had to be sewn on the left
and never concealed.
She should not be going to the theater
because a German ordinance dating from July 1942
banned Jews from concerts,
from public gardens, restaurants,
theaters and cinemas.
If she got caught, especially hiding the star,
she'd be sent straight to Drancy and from there
almost immediately to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
So she's taking a very big risk.
Forgive me. I'm sorry.
I was trying to be nice because - Are her parents French?
The girl is, but her parents are Polish.
The father's a tailor. He works at home.
In the attic, that is.
His daughter makes the deliveries. He can't go out in the street.
You could cut his accent with a knife.
- An accent like Lucas? - His is much worse.
Besides, he hardly knows 30 words of French.
Another big fur coat, rabbit, perhaps,
different from Marion's, at any rate.
Isn't he scared someone will denounce him?
There were tons of denunciations, we don't have an exact number,
but it was in the tens of thousands.
People would say: “So-and-so is Jewish,”
or “Have you looked there?”
There'd be an investigation by the French police,
the General Commission for Jewish Issues and the Feldgendarmerie.
Why did they do it, to get their apartments?
That too. There was an economic aspect.
But it was also just to arrest them.
I've read them all, Madame Manager.
Nothing here for us. You can return them.
But first make sure to burn the reader's notes.
They're in my handwriting. - Okay. I'll take care of it.
Now let me explain about the money.
I divided it into three stacks.
The first one is for the conveyor who'll take you to Vierzon.
- They call them conveyors? - Yes, conveyors.
You must pay him when you get on the truck.
They promised me you'll be comfortable. It's a moving van.
They usually left in groups.
There were underground networks.
...for the farmer...
The farmer, a local person.
...extends over both zones.
At the far end, you're in the free zone.
Let me guess. The third stack is for Spain.
Yes. Be careful. It's for Spain and for the rest.
It might not be enough,
so I brought this little bag along.
It was difficult to cross the Spanish border,
especially after the “free zone” became occupied,
which will happen soon in the film.
Not the jewels. Not the jewels!
- You may need them. - Less than you will.
Bring them along when you join me.
Does a lot of research appear to have gone into the writing?
There's a lot of information about the period. It's quite precise.
It's not a period reproduction,
or an exact photocopy.
It's done quite cleverly, I'd say.
You don't feel like you're watching a documentary.
It's fiction,
so he incorporates bits and pieces,
but they're always used to further the story line.
No glaring errors?
No, there are no errors.
And we see how he weaves in various incidents
that happened around the theater critic of Je suis partout.
This is a song
that was very popular at the time.
It was sung by Fréhel, Damia,
Lucienne Delyle.
It was written, I believe,
in the late '30s or early '40s.
Léo Marjane also sang it.
Truffaut had a lot of trouble writing this scene here.
So he asked Jean-Claude Grumberg,
a playwright and a man of the theater, to write it.
What does it mean to look Jewish? - You're asking me?
This is something which is extremely important.
What does “Jewish” mean according to French law?
The notion of “race” doesn't exist under French law.
What does “Jewish” mean?
It's a religion, but it has nothing to do with citizenship.
To the French, religion doesn't exist.
Our government is secular, with separation of church and state.
The registry office never writes down your religion,
as opposed to the Germans,
who used to and perhaps still do.
- They write - - “Catholic” or “Protestant” or...
He no longer loves me
It's in the past
Let's talk of it no more
GERARD DEPARDIEU: It has a relentless rhythm, it never stops.
In meal scenes, for example, François would say:
“Forget about feeling, I just want you to keep talking. ”
No pauses between lines.
In fact, that's the first rule of comedy.
In meal scenes, he didn't want any lulls in the conversation.
You find that in American cinema, Lubitsch's films.
That's right.
I remember in The Woman Next Door he'd say: “No lulls”
and, yes, he'd mention Lubitsch.
“Because I like studying with him.” - Because I like studying with him.
Very good.
I used to go dancing at the ball of Saint-Jean
He kissed me and stole my heart
How could I not lose my mind when he held me prisoner in his arms
I believed in his words of love
Songs also played a role, the radio, listening to songs in the street.
JEAN-PIERRE AZEMA Yes, a lot of musicians would play in the streets
to make a little money.
It's often seen in French films of the time, he recreates it here.
It's quite authentic.
Sights like this would be rare in 1942
because the German Army advised Germans not to stay out alone.
Back in 1940 it was okay,
but by the fall of 1942,
painting alone in the street like that could be risky.
It could even get you killed.
A movie poster.
Truffaut's aim in this film,
after making Day For Night about the cinema,
was to make a film about a theater troupe.
He's in his element.
Actually, he was more familiar with cinema.
And the historical context of the Occupation is very complex.
He planned to make a third film about vaudeville
entitled The Magical Agency, but he died before shooting it.
The Last Metro was to be the second film in his trilogy on show business.
GERARD DEPARDIEU: I remember wonderful, magical moments
due, of course, to François himself.
We filmed in the Théatre Saint-Georges.
There was Suzanne Schiffman, Francois, the whole crew,
Marcel Berbert, Serge Rousseau, who was the narrator
in the film.
Then there was the mysterious chemistry
between Catherine and François.
And Jean Poiret, who was absolutely amazing.
It was the first time I'd worked on a film -
- It was like a family. - Yes.
But above all, what was special about François' films
was the courtesy present on the set.
There was true courtesy in our relationships.
No pressure was ever put on anyone.
That's What I meant when I told him: ”You're a real rascal. ”
Because he had tact, he was gentle
even when he was doing or saying things that could be
quite unpleasant.
JEAN-PIERRE AZEMA: The stockings...
Well, by now everyone's woolen stockings were full of holes.
Silk stockings were terribly expensive
and so women often used to stain their legs
and draw a line up the back
to represent the seam.
- No one does that now. - No.
GERMAN TROOPS INVADE FREE ZONE
What is this? Is it today's paper?
Did you know the free zone was invaded?
I heard it on the radio.
It won't change anything for us, but there'll be trouble down there.
- Now we'll be able to take trips south. - And send letters there.
Now, this is very important for the story line.
On November 77, 7.942, the Wehrmacht invaded the so-called “free zone, ”
which meant that the whole country was occupied.
The south became the “operation zone.”
They had more autonomy than in the northern zone,
but Germans were everyvhere - they feared an Allied landing in Provence -
except a small area around Nice, the Alpes-Maritimes,
which was left to the Italians.
This meant that the German police
blocked off the Pyrenees and the coast.
Germans were everywhere,
but they still needed a lot of help from the French police.
So for someone like Lucas who wanted to reach the “German-free” zone,
it was now impossible.
Let me add that the line of demarcation was maintained
and still had to be crossed.
It wouldn't be eliminated until March 1, 1943.
So now you had full occupation,
maintained by two security forces: The French
and the German border and military police.
It was even riskier now
because Germans were everywhere in the so-called “free zone.”
Were more Germans sent to France?
No.
They spread out...
Perhaps there were a few more.
I can't take it anymore, Marion. I can't.
Please, Lucas.
- I'm going. - Where are you going?
Away from here. I'm going. I'll speak to them.
- To whom? - To the authorities, to the police.
I'll explain everything to them. I'll register. I'll get my papers in order.
That would be suicidal.
Some Jews acted suicidally.
You mean, unconsciously, they acted -
Some took huge risks.
For example, the girl we saw. She was young.
Others took risks because they wanted to go out to eat or to the theater.
They could have gotten caught.
And they would've been sent to Drancy.
Perhaps that's what Truffaut wanted to suggest.
Lucas has been in hiding and doesn't realize
how much Paris has changed.
He could now be sent straight to Drancy
and from there, to the death camps.
Down in his cellar he's out of touch
and doesn't realize how things have changed in France
since January 1942, since the process of extermination was generalized
for occupied countries in the West at the Wannsee Conference.
This reality is what Malls shows
in Lacombe, Lucien, with the old man,
the father who decides to go to them because his daughter is at risk.
He tells them his name, thereby turning himself in.
He can't take it anymore and his daughter is at risk.
But it was an act that at the time was -
Suicidal, yet dignified.
- Yes, but fatal. - For Mr. Horn.
I can't go out that way. They're all already here.
We should be more careful. We should have gotten up earlier.
- Use the back alley. - Right.
- Marion. - Yes?
Don't forget to lock the door behind you.
Yes.
I got news from my oldest son. He can't tell me where he is,
but I was able to get a card from Germany.
Here, he refers to the prisoners in the stalags.
All packages were opened, and you couldn't send just anything.
She's collected some tobacco, which was hard to come by at the time.
It was rationed, of course,
but it was still a precious gift to send
to a prisoner.
Here, we'll see something about the resistance movement.
It's only hinted at...
- It's not emphasized. - But it's there.
There is an underground movement which is at least hinted at.
No, I didn't sleep at home.
I almost got into trouble last night. Coming out of the movies,
I ran into a raid for “Voluntary Labor in Germany.”
Two guys were checking everybody.
Here, he's alluding to the mandatory labor service
which was instituted in February 1943.
Men who were born in 1920, 1921, and 1922
had to go work in Germany.
Laval had ordered this, encouraged, of course, by the Germans.
To be caught in a raid and labeled as “refractory” to this service
could get you in trouble.
You wouldn't be sent to the death camps but you'd definitely be sent to work.
And there were regular raids
in order to catch people like Depardieu's character.
Men of his age.
Those who should be going.
They weren't necessarily part of the Resistance.
They just didn't want to go.
This work service left a deep scar on the French, especially the men.
Truffaut refers to it, with good reason.
How many men left?
650,000 would be sent to Germany.
Some refused to go,
but it wasn't until the fall of 1943 that a protest movement was organized.
There's 3 Resistance fighter.
At least four million French people, in one way or another,
voluntarily or involuntarily, for the most part,
worked for the German war machine.
That's a lot.
And 650,000 were sent to work in Germany.
Was that considered dishonorable?
No.
It was mandatory.
It wasn't glorifying.
Some would later use the term ”deported workers, ”
but the Resistance people put a stop to that.
They didn't see them as deported, but simply as workers.
Usually, they came back.
Yes, although 40, 000 died under the bombs.
From bombs or illnesses, so it wasn't fun and games either.
40,000 died, at least.
Marion? Are you there?
- Where are you? - Go over to the bed.
Say something.
Say what? I'm by the bed.
- I can't hear you. - Same here. I can hardly hear you.
Go over to the radio.
Where is the radio? I can hear it, but I don't see it.
It's next to the boiler.
The boiler?
All right, here I am.
I can hear you through this hole?
Yes, I can hear you as if you were next to me.
Turn up the sound and come up to the stage.
That tune is from back then.
The radio played a lot of music.
- This is very dangerous. - It's quite the opposite. It's great.
You see, I rigged up the old heating vent.
With this setup, I'll be able to hear
all the rehearsals from the cellar.
Every night I'll give you suggestions for Jean-Loup to pass on to the actors.
Of course, Disappearance is going to be a hit.
It could run for a year.
I'm back in business.
I'm directing again, and nobody will ever find out.
A fond memory is alive in my heart
And is as fresh as a flower from Spain
What Truffaut probably noticed is how comfortable you are with women.
You're comfortable, like you're one of them,
you don't threaten them.
GERARD DEPARDIEU: It's because I'm not - How shall I say it?
I'm not out to conquer women.
I'm close to them,
maybe even more feminine than actresses are at times.
When I started acting, what I liked
was that you could show your femininity.
Many actresses are much more
virile than their male counterparts.
Actors are more obnoxious among themselves than actresses are.
Actresses are more courageous.
Many actors are such Sissies, they're afraid of everything.
Truffaut was someone who was able to make actors feel secure
and to give women back their femininity.
In all his films, even in The Soft Skin
the women are beautiful.
They're beautiful because
he knows how to talk both about and to them.
We all know women adore hearing certain kinds of things,
they like romance.
My mother, for example, used to go to the cinema
to get her fill of dreams for the week.
Because she couldn't live on reality alone.
It was too dreary.
Truffaut knew things like that.
It's a bit like the film you codirected The Bridge.
Absolutely.
It's about people who listen, watch and then dream,
without saying anything.
It's discreet.
I think that's something we had in common,
although we never really talked about it.
Bernard Granger is right. The scene should not be shouted.
- But that's what you wanted. - So I made a mistake.
JEAN-PIERRE AZEMA He's drinking something
which was expensive back then: Coffee.
Very expensive.
The “national coffee” wasn't expensive, but it was tasteless,
which apparently isn't the case here.
It shouldn't be played like a duel.
The same goes for the cigarettes.
They were very scarce.
Here, we feel that Marion is torn between two men,
between the man below and the man above,
that she indeed feels something when she rehearses with Bernard.
So you're deserting the conjugal cave?
Now, that newspaper she's carrying
is also pro-collaboration: L'Oeuvre,
the newspaper run by Déat,
one of the chief political leaders in collaborationist circles in Paris.
It was well-known and well-respected.
It was quite widely read.
Have you seen Raymond? I've been looking everywhere.
No.
He's working on what will become a time bomb for the Resistance.
- Here he is. - I know. I know I'm late.
I had to stand in line at the hardware store for 45 minutes.
Standing in line, now that was something important.
- In daily life. - Exactly.
You waited in line for anything that became available.
You should have taken a bike-taxi. We would have paid.
A bike-taxi was a sort of rickshaw
pulled by an athletic sort of cabby.
He's lost his bike, which is a tragedy
because bikes were very expensive.
There were about two million bikes in Paris
since cars had all but disappeared.
But they were expensive.
A new bike probably cost almost as much
as a car,
as a cheap car before the war.
Listen, last year someone stole my bike too.
So what? I had to accept it. But three days later,
at the other end of town, unbelievable -
What do I see? My very own bike.
#813-HK-45.
Bikes had license plates
and until perhaps the end of the '50s,
everyone had to have papers for their bikes.
It was supposed to make it easier to identify them.
I can tell we're going to fight.
Now people are stopping, staring at us.
And then, guess what.
He starts calling me a fag. No offense, Jean-Loup.
He starts saying in front of everybody that I came on to him
and made a pass at him, the whole bit.
Then people started giving me dirty looks.
They were all on the side of the thief.
I told myself, “That's it. They're gonna beat the shit out of me.”
So I ran as fast as I could.
There are the Boches,
the Heinies,
the Krauts,
the Jerries.
I don't remember the other one.
- You forgot the beetles. - That's right. The beetles.
“Doryphore” or potato beetle was a term used
because of the two-year plague of potato beetles.
It was a total disaster.
There was a whole list of nicknames for the occupier.
The Germans.
They even held “doryphore” hunts.
Schoolchildren hunted for potato beetles in the potato fields.
Now, there he is in his customary jacket.
That's how it was done:
you pass on the apparatus
and it will blow up in a little while.
Mme. Steiner, a gentleman is waiting for you at the bar.
A gentleman? I'm not expecting anyone.
I don't know his name, but he writes for Je suis partout.
A piece of information.
It's quite a well-known paper.
It's an important clue for the viewer.
I wanted to meet you outside the theater.
It's confidential.
Please.
Truffaut wanted this role to be played by a little-known actor.
So he gave it to his friend Jean-Louis Richard,
who was also the screenwriter for several of his films,
including Day For Night and The Soft Skin.
He is a kind, gentle man, the opposite of Daxiat.
So it was interesting to have him play a powerful man.
Laubreaux was about 40 years old.
I'm hated by most theater people.
Frankly, it requires a lot of strength to cope with such hostility.
I think I have that strength.
I've always admired Lucas Steiner.
If he were here, I would tell him that our real battle
is socialistic,
anticapitalistic -
- Anti-capitalistic means - - Anti-American.
Yes, anti-plutocratic,
and therefore, socialist,
in the Nazi way, of course: National-Socialist.
Daxiat is spouting the party line.
And that's not what I'm here for.
Lucas Steiner has not left France.
They've arrested the person who forged the papers.
The first bombs were dropped on Paris,
on the Renault factories in Boulogne-Billancourt,
in early March 1942.
It didn't happen every day,
but as the end neared,
the Allies began bombing the outlying train stations
and certain areas in the north and south.
80 Paris became more dangerous.
There were about 600 deaths in 1943, I think,
from bombings, and about 750 deaths in 1944.
It didn't happen every day, but the threat was there.
So you had to go down into the shelters,
and the safest place was in the metro.
They bombed factories and strategic areas.
Yes, and they were seriously damaged,
as well as train stations in the north.
It was traumatic for all the French.
The bombings increased
as the Liberation approached.
As the Allies had little confidence in the French Resistance,
they were bombing in order to destroy German trains and railroads
in preparation for the Allied landing.
No, not only terrified.
And the night with the fashion designer of The Doll's House?
It was your turn to be scared. - Not at all. I enjoyed it.
Go on. Go home. Go back to the hotel.
I'd rather you left right now.
And what if I stayed here tonight?
All night? Until tomorrow?
- All night. Until tomorrow. - You mean it?
Then I'll shut off the light to consider your proposition.
Light was also precious...
And Truffaut hated love scenes, so that suited him!
...to tell you, “Helena, I love you, ”
why did you refuse to listen to me?
Listen, Bernard, I know it's in the script,
but I'd rather you didn't touch my face during rehearsals.
You can do it during the performance. - Let's start again, kids.
I have no right to love.
It's odd, Catherine Deneuve, who's never done theater
and never wanted to,
the only time she has is here, in a film.
Bernard, don't forget you're supposed to caress Marion's face at that point.
It's Marion who told him not to touch her.
A large crowd has gathered here,
and I'm trying to make my way through.
There's the explosion.
A sort of bomb attack by the Resistance.
An assassination attempt.
He's right not to overdo it.
We shouldn't think that bombs were going off all the time.
There was an occasional bomb. He was right not to exaggerate.
Here's the famous metro once again,
which was both a shelter
and the main means of transportation for Parisians.
Jews were only allowed in the last car.
Officers in the German army rode in first class.
There was a code of conduct.
Here, she's selling her jewelry.
Which was worth a lot at the time.
But at the same time, you were vulnerable to swindlers.
That man, the theater manager, is Marcel Berbert,
who managed Truffaut's production company, Les Films du Carrosse.
He was Truffaut's right-hand man and acted in many of his films.
I'm sorry. But I can't make a decision today.
I need some time to think it over.
- As you wish, madame. - Yes, yes.
Tell me, Arlette. Would you help me rehearse my lines in my dressing room?
The kind of help you're looking for is not hard to find.
You should try a brothel, I think.
There were a lot of prostitutes.
Never mind, Nadine. I'll manage.
You know, Carl, if you wish to remain in this house,
there is a name you must never mention - the name of Charles-Henri.
Ask for Yolande at the Lafayette department store. Tell her I sent you.
She can get you Gone with the Wind for 80 francs.
As a movie, the French hadn't seen it yet.
Because it was American.
They'd see it after the war.
- It was made in 1939? - Yes.
You could see it in London, but so few saw it...
You had to have connections to get perfume,
to buy things for less.
After '42 or '43 you had to have connections and be resourceful.
Family in the country.
Exactly, packages from relatives
were essential.
Without a cousin in the country, you lost weight!
Here's a speech...
The problem is that the majority of the French people
don't know how to recognize a Jew.
It's a famous speech.
If they could spot them, they could protect themselves.
Some look typically Jewish, but not all of them.
If only all Jews had blue skin.
But it isn't the case. So, we must recognize them. It's -
- It's famous? - Yes.
One of those anti-Semitic rants
being heard in 1943.
Such diatribes are really very shocking.
- Truffaut did a lot of research. - It shows.
Rebatet's writings, for example.
He represents anti-Semitism
at its most virulent, offensive, and perverse.
He wrote, edited, and published.
Les Décombres, his best seller, is outrageous.
It's an ordeal to read,
the edition published back then, not today's expurgated version.
What the hell are you doing, Raymond?
The lights are out! - I know. I've nothing to do with it.
The whole neighborhood is in the dark. - It's a power failure.
Perfect for silhouettes.
I looked outside.
The whole neighborhood is in the dark.
Now the lights have gone out.
It started happening more frequently,
there were more blackouts.
Nadine, we're waiting for you to start rehearsal onstage.
- Marion, let me explain. - There is nothing to explain.
- I don't want you to judge me. - I'm not judging you.
But I wish you'd keep your love life outside the theater.
Marion is heartless.
She's too tough. She's too cold.
Doesn't care about anyone. She's totally unsympathetic.
She doesn't even know I exist.
She's worse since Lucas is gone. I can't stand it.
- Calm down, my child. Calm down.
It's not the end of the world.
Marion opened a door that should have been locked. You see it as a tragedy.
But in two weeks, it will have been forgotten. You know that.
If only it was true.
I don't want to stay here.
I want to go home.
You're right. Go home.
She's not well. Think I should take her home?
No, drop it. That's the last thing she needs.
She'll be all right. Forget it.
Mate to see her so upset.
Boy! I really was on the wrong track with her.
That's for sure.
She's not for you. She's actually more like competition.
Truffaut tries to find little touches
that flesh out, that give life to the supporting roles.
- And he succeeds. - Yes, I think so.
I wanted to warn you that you were on the wrong track on several occasions,
but I figured it was none of my business.
You're all going to the Joconde tonight? Isn't it a nightclub?
Yes, it's true. The nightclubs were packed.
- Cabarets. - Right.
Not just full of Germans,
but French too, those with money.
There was champagne and all the rest, as long as you had money.
They opened from midnight till 6:00 a. m. and once in, you had to stay in.
- You could stay. - Right.
But no going out.
Except if there was a special curfew, due to a bomb attack,
then there might be raids, you had to be careful.
Otherwise, you were usually better off in a cabaret.
I don't mind that you neglect me. It's my problem.
But for others, the play comes first.
You must pay more attention to them.
Why don't you answer me?
If I did, I'd be too cruel.
The coffee's ready. I've got to run.
Marion.
Yes?
I heard you and Bernard rehearsing the love scene.
So what?
I don't know. It seems to me - I feel it could be better.
What are you trying to say exactly?
It's the only love scene in the play.
Try to be
more sincere.
Since one evening in a place in France
When I saw your big eyes in the shadows
So, Germans rubbing shoulders with the French, and vice verse.
We see the caps left by the German officers.
Not the rank and file, the officers.
Than these tender words from my country
- Hello. - Hello.
How are you?
No, Nadine. This seat is for Bernard.
Anyway, I can't stay. I wanted to ask you to excuse me.
I've got to meet with the producer of Angels of Mercy.
I'm not sure I can get the part. Two other girls are up for it.
I couldn't find out who they were. - It's a great part.
I hope you get it.
We'll keep our fingers crossed for you, Nadine.
- Okay, I'm off. - Bye.
I'll belong to you always
There were cabarets with scantily-clad singers
such as the Tabarin.
Very popular with German officers.
Always packed.
Those Parisian girls, “Gay Paris. ”
If not “Paris by night.”
“Paris bei nacht.”
“The little kitten is dead”...
I can guarantee you that the whole audience will think she did it.
Enjoying yourselves?
- Bernard, come sit next to me. - Well, I'm not alone.
I brought a friend. Simone. Sit down.
Take care of her while I check our coats. I'll be right back.
That's champagne, a pretty rare commodity at the time.
Or if not rare, expensive.
It required means.
Just a minute, sir. I'll get your check.
Yes.
So he sees the caps. Officers always left their caps.
If that's the rightward.
There, he reacts somewhat...
Yes, we've already seen him do that.
He reacts.
Those in the Resistance had to watch their step.
Sorry, Mme. Steiner, but I can't stay.
So, it plays on a double register.
The emotions, Catherine Deneuve, her twinge of jealousy.
And also on the moral, political front,
Depardieu won't compromise himself.
Without making a speech.
He's an actor
and he keeps up a front.
Darling, I'm yours forever
I would have liked to tell you everything in French
There is a man staring at us.
Don't look. He's coming over.
- Hello, Cottins. How is everything? - Fine.
Still in show business, a real trouper.
Don't you think you should introduce me, Cottins?
- I'm sorry, but I forgot your first name. - René. René Bernardini.
Of course. René Bernardini.
Bernardiini, played by Jean -José Richer
production manager on the film.
An old friend of Truffaut's who wrote for Gamers du Cinema in the '503.
Excuse me.
Tell me
That you love me
So we have a situation which is -
The characters compromise themselves as if it were normal.
There's that ambivalence.
Right.
Just like the audiences who came to see the actors, the plays,
because they had a profound need to do so.
I'm not tired, and you're right. This place is depressing.
- Where are you going? - Tonight I'm on my own.
- What was that all about? - That's typical of Marion.
She saw the evening was a disaster and she decided to make it complete.
At the time, they dreamed of such a breakfast!
Yes, a slight oversight on his part.
Daxiat has two seats -
numbers 17 and 19 in the middle of the seventh row.
Don't forget - 20 seats for the Propagandastaffel.
Yes indeed, they had to reserve seats.
At least 20.
It had been discussed in Wiesbaden
as part of the armistice.
It was stipulated that the Germans would always have,
for plays and concerts,
a certain number of automatically reserved seats.
Whatever the play, the concert or the film.
We give the best seats to those who take pleasure in panning us,
and we refuse to give away four seats to people who already love the play.
Maybe, but you know what Lucas would say.
We must give our best seats to our enemies.
Germaine, did you touch anything in my dressing room? I can't find my purse.
Oh, great.
What a mess! Somebody's been here.
- Well? - They took my travel clock.
I think that's all.
My word, it's a den of thieves.
- And you? Are you missing anything? - I found my wallet, but it's empty.
- So it's most serious for you, Nadine. - Yes, I don't mind the money,
but they took my ration cards...
Yes, ration cards were no small affair.
They were the only way to obtain certain commodities,
unless you had lots of money and used the black market.
So ration cards enabled you to buy what was available?
Yes, basic things like potatoes...
A little bread.
Depending on what was available.
You could also get cloth.
Not having one's ration cards
meant your situation was somewhat irregular.
But of course, I immediately knew it was her.
It could only be Martine.
Raymond, we're not calling the police. So, you go to her place and try to -
- I'll go with you. - I don't know where she lives.
- She's your girlfriend! - She's not. She wasn't interested.
She goes from one theater to another with her black market stuff.
That's how we met. I took her to a movie once and once to a restaurant.
That's all. I swear. I don't know her address.
I've never been to her place, and she never came to mine.
But since she was pretty,
I don't mind that everybody thought I was sleeping with her.
Madame, in that case, let's call the police.
Yes, let's get the police.
I don't think you heard me the first time.
I don't want the police to set foot in this theater.
Ladies and gentlemen, stay in one line.
Did you feel that Truffaut knew this period well...
that he'd captured the feeling, the atmosphere?
GERARD DEPARDIEU Yes, he knew it perfectly.
Not many of his circle did...
apart from Gruault, who was a bit older.
But I think he also knew it through Guitry, through books
about that period.
I mean, if you take the scene in the church...
The songs.
He had a good feel for the spirit of the Resistance.
He knew what the Occupation was.
And censorship back then, Laubreaux, Daxiat...
Yes, I felt that Truffaut knew it inside out.
Yet he never did things which...
Maybe in The 400 Blows or The Wild Child...
It's his interpretation.
He uses real life, but romanticizes it.
And that's what I find wonderful about him,
the rascal at heart...
He wasn't someone who sought,
like Pialat, to recreate his own experience,
by putting people in the melodrama
of what he'd been through.
And that was the difference I noticed when doing Loulou.
- You'd done Loulou just before. - Right, and it was totally different.
Loulou was heavy going, because we were recreating a personal memory,
down to the color of the wallpaper,
and he even tried
to get the actors to feel what he felt at the time.
It was totally different.
Pialat's and Truffaut's approaches were very different.
Loulou is a great film, but it was ”heavy going” to make?
It was heavy work, a heavy experience, whereas this one
was maybe tough on Catherine,
as I later learned.
But with success, you forget such things.
I think he even went to the Cesar awards with Fanny.
That's when he got the idea to do The Woman Next Boot with you,
when he introduced you to Fanny.
Tongues were really wagging.
I don't get it.
I mean, he was supposed to go with Catherine.
And instead he turns up with Fanny!
When I asked him,
he said: “That's the way it is!”
JEAN-PIERRE AZEMA: There's a minor error: A girl with the yellow star
seated by a German, impossible.
- She couldn't - - No.
My godfather always knows best.
I suppose he wanted to speak to the tutor in private about his new student.
Of course, if Dr. Sanders had asked my advice, I would have said that
Eric has no need for a tutor.
He's still so young, and I enjoy teaching him the little bit I can.
You are right, madame,
but I still think this big house is too quiet for Mr. Eric.
You know, my mother once told me that when she worked here
there were sometimes up to 20 guests for dinner.
A fireman with a star is also a mistake.
Anything putting them in contact with Aryans wasn't allowed.
- Good evening. - Good evening, Mme. Thierry.
- How come she's going in? - My son is in the play. I'm his mother.
Can I leave you, madame? I need to prepare Eric's room for the night.
You all right? As the boss used to say,
the theater is like bathroom and cemetery -
when you gotta go, you gotta go.
Tell Eric to finish his homework before his new tutor arrives.
Helena.
This is Mr. Carl, our new tutor.
I know I should have warned you.
The resemblance is striking. Truly extraordinary.
I don't know what you mean.
I didn't expect a student, but a man of some experience.
But I have good references, madame.
I don't doubt it. But so far, my son has been raised by myself and his uncle.
- Then Laubreaux arrives. - Late.
As he always did.
Yes, for the opening night of The Satin Slipper
he deliberately arrived late,
and elbowed his way into the third row.
He's the czar of the theater.
Wasn't The Satin Slipper with Cuny?
No, it was with Jean-Louis Barrault,
Cuny was in Andromaque.
He can do whatever he wants.
- He's accompanied by a lady. - In uniform.
"A gray mouse" as they were called.
- Meaning? - A German woman.
A female soldier
working in the Wehrmacht's logistics department.
Helena, my dear, when will you learn to trust me?
Don't you realize no other man loves you as much as I do?
But there is something else. - What else?
It's that... I don't ever want to lose you.
Hurry up, Germaine.
We've only got five minutes. - Don't turn around. Don't move.
How did it go? Are you happy?
I don't know. We can never tell until it's over.
You've often said, that from then on,
from when he met you, Truffaut's films changed.
He wanted to do several films with you.
GERARD DEPARDIEU: I think it was the first time he'd done -
how shall I say -
a film with such a huge budget.
- For him it was - - It was a big budget, it was huge.
Plus, the film was a huge success,
and we set up lots more.
We did The Woman Next Door in six weeks with a script -
it could hardly be called a script, it was 40 pages long.
We were set to do lots more movies. One on the inventions
of the turn of the century,
featuring Proust, the telephone, with Fanny.
The famous project 00-14.
There was also The Count of Monte Cristo for TV.
He had that set up.
Also for TV was Jean de la Varende's Leathernose.
He had lots and lots of projects.
But he fell ill so suddenly.
I saw him in a villa he'd rented,
which belonged to France Gall, at Honfleur.
I had to see him about Leathernose.
And he said: “Gerard, I don't feel well. I was vomiting all night.
I've got this splitting headache.”
He went to the hospital.
And then, I heard... He was dead a year later.
That was summer '83.
That's right.
When did we make The Woman Next Door?
In '81,
just after The Last Metro.
Then came Confidentially Yours
and then we were going to do another project together.
Yes, love hurts.
Like a bird of prey, it circles over us,
as if to threaten us.
But this threat can also be a promise of happiness.
You're beautiful, Helena.
Almost word for word, it's Mississippi Mermaid,
with Catherine Deneuve and Belmondo.
The idea of “love is painful” is taken from it almost word for word.
JEAN-PIERRE AZEMA: It'd be we been far too risky
for her to have been there.
They'd wouldn't have let her in,
not in 1943.
We made it!
Come here.
Laubreaux stands up.
We believe he liked it. He enjoyed the play.
I'm sorry, but Marion is exhausted. Her role is very demanding.
You understand. She's got to rest.
You can come in. It went well.
Send her a note instead. She'll appreciate it.
I didn't know you were here. Come in.
My husband is with me.
He's her husband.
A German officer.
Champagne, once more.
A rare commodity,
kept for opening night.
You see, Marion, I knew the torn gown would work better.
Sorry, but I must introduce you.
Captain Wiedekind and his wife.
My husband is sorry, but he doesn't speak French.
Cheer up!
You look sad. - I'm not. Here's to you. I'm fine.
Truffaut had done a lot of research...
books on the theater, memoirs of theater manageresses...
The backdrop of the film is very precise, well researched.
- It shows. - That's how he worked.
Especially when he wrote the screenplay.
He's in his element. There are very few errors.
Everything works well.
He knew this epoch as a child.
Yes, but not that milieu.
He could have done something very simplistic, in black and white.
But he didn't.
Truffaut's imagination was -
Later, he regretted that he didn't set The 400 Blows during the war,
because that was his childhood.
His childhood was the war years.
He always wanted to return to this period
which shaped his imagination.
He used to go to the movies on the sly.
He was fascinated by the Occupation era.
And of course, the men were absent.
Others filmed that era too: Chabrol,
Malle.
I don't know if Rohmer did.
No, he never made anything on that period.
If I were you, I'd go home.
Real fast! So long.
- Hello. - Ah, you were here.
- Yes, it was great. - Excellent.
Thanks.
Congratulations, sir. You were excellent.
- Bravo, Bernard. You were terrific. - Really? Thanks.
- Looking for someone? - No, I'm not.
- Are you happy, Germaine? - I'm especially happy for Marion.
But, Lucas, we won!
I don't understand you. You heard the applause.
It's a hit! - A hit.
Maybe so, but it's far from perfect, believe me.
From down here, you can really tell what doesn't work.
He's cold too, so he's wearing a scarf.
I'll read them to you.
Come here. Sit down.
Now, let me see.
They're on different wavelengths, the people above
and the people below.
He wants to explain everything to her for half an hour
and she's liberated, she wants to go see this new man.
- She's attracted to Bernard. - Absolutely.
And the first night was a success.
They're on two totally different planets.
Not in opposition, but different.
She couldn't care less about his notes.
Even if it's difficult for her to slip them in her corset.
The theater is his whole life,
first because of his passion for theater...
He's a prisoner.
He's buried alive.
It's a situation that interests Truffaut. He was like that too.
His total passion for cinema...
One lives for one's passion,
and then, there's real life.
He'll write a good review simply because that's his kind of play.
Here's Marion! Where were you?
They're all there: France Socialiste, Aujourd'hui,
La Gerbe, L'Auto, and Le Petit Parisien,
all extremely collaborationist.
Is it possible for that to be the cameo of Laubreaux in Je suis partout,
or it is a mock-up?
Kind of.
It's not a real copy of the paper.
I don't think so.
I knew it.
“Mme. Steiner maintains the tradition of Jewish nihilism
that disgraced the Montmartre Theatre long before the war.
True, nothing is Jewish in Disappearance,
and yet it reeks of Jewishness.”
- They used terms like that? - Absolutely.
"Jewishness” was both a label and a common expression.
“As to the acting, what can I say about Marion Steiner's performance
but that she tries to seduce us with her sad little expressions
and recites her lines as if she was on a movie set.
Go back to the screen, Mme. Steiner.” - You see?
“The only revelation is Bernard Granger.”
No kidding.
“A former actor from Grand Guignol, he creates a convincing character.
A star is born.” - At last.
- You think it's funny. - No, it's not funny.
But the other reviews are good. We can't complain.
With the bookings we've got, I think we have it made.
And it's all thanks to you, Marion. It makes sense.
You don't make movies anymore, so people come to see you at the theater.
“Jewish nihilism that disgraced
the Montmartre Theatre long before the war.”
You see his name: Daxiat. It's as if I had received an anonymous letter.
You're right.
Daxiat has the same motivations as people who write anonymous letters.
Before the war, they were nobodies. Now they're running the country.
But for how long?
Wait.
Look at the book I'm reading. It's about you.
It's Les Décombres.
- About me? - Yes.
Look here.
“Not content with monopolizing the stage and the screen,
the Jews steal our most beautiful women.”
“Our most beautiful women."
So, they're celebrating the opening.
Good evening!
Your customers sound cheerful tonight.
It's a private party for the Montmartre Theatre.
A table for us?
Under the tall red idols we see over there
What's that song? Do you know it?
Zumba.
A hit at the time.
It could've been by Damia or Fréhel.
Mr. Granger, the director of the Hebertot Theater wants to meet you.
Zumba, Zumba
A portrait of Pétain?
- Is that possible? - Sure. After all, we are in France.
Your big eyes full of light call me back
Bernard Granger.
You know Mlle. Bataille.
So, this scene.
A famous scene.
It actually happened, though differently.
Truffaut managed to transpose it.
What actually happened was,
Laubreaux got roughed up by Jean Marais,
because he had written a pretty vicious article
on Jean Cocteau,
concerning the play The Infernal Machine, as I recall.
He took away his cane
and gave him a thrashing.
Afterwards, Je suis partout gave Cocteau nothing but grief:
Intimate Relations was banned, and so on.
So, it's a scene which really happened,
that brawl between Laubreaux and Jean Marais,
concerning another play,
- but with... - The idea of the cane.
So, he used it.
- He used it... - In his screenplay.
In a heroic way.
Yet, it also endangers the theater.
- He puts in danger... - The theater, the play, etc.
- Whereas Jean Marais... - Acted on his own.
- Out of love. - For Cocteau.
Out of love and dignity.
Truffaut was well aware of what went on,
in the theater, in the cinema,
and he makes use of it in a clever way.
And Truffaut was very close to Cocteau.
He admired Cocteau greatly. He'd produced one of his films.
It's a scene that really happened,
and it's worked into the script
as an act of bravery and recklessness.
He uses it both ways.
We can read it in two ways.
Marion Steiner is furious.
She already has enough trouble with Laubreaux.
She thinks: “I'm big enough to look after myself.”
This means that the Resistance considered
this replacement director's role
sufficiently ambiguous to brand him as a collaborator.
You interpret that as a threat from the Resistance?
- Yes, indeed. - I never thought of that.
That's what the Resistance used to send.
Little coffins, which meant: “Watch your step!”
It means that?
I'm not sure, but that's one possible reading.
If you crossed the line you were in for big trouble.
There are perhaps other possible readings,
but since we see Poiret being arrested at the end,
perhaps it foreshadows that.
Yet Bernard, who's in the play, is in the Resistance...
Sure, but there were many cells, and each...
He perhaps wants to indicate the difficulty, the ambivalence present,
the gray areas.
Coffins is trying to arrange things.
He goes to see Laubreaux to explain.
To try to negotiate...
To make amends for the fight.
- Mr. Daxiat, please. - First office on the right.
The Je suis partout offices?
Yes, in theory.
They're just about to go to press.
I confess that I was reluctant to come because with someone like you
it's hard to tell if it's an appointment or an arrest.
Apparently you misread my review.
You call that a review?
I was under the impression it was more like a revenge.
Maybe it was, but it wasn't aimed at you. On the contrary.
- On the contrary? - Yes.
Excuse me.
The headline layout.
The final proof.
4:00, the last-minute details.
- Je suis partout. - The front page.
It shows his power, he decides the headlines.
Yes, he took on more and more power at Je suis partout.
When I went to the theater the other night,
I was expecting to see a play directed by Jean-Loup Cottins.
Instead I saw a styleless and nondescript show.
Anyway, I felt you were merely a front.
And worse yet, a front for a fugitive.
If I was in a good mood, I'd say I need to consult my lawyer,
but instead, I'd rather leave.
Wait. Wait. I didn't tell you the most important thing.
I've got a proposition for you. - Whatever it is, my answer is no.
I want you to help me save the Montmartre Theatre.
You know Lucas Steiner signed his theater
over to his wife before he ran away.
We have proof that the transaction is illegal
because the transfer was predated.
This kind of transaction is called a false aryanization.
There was a law, introduced in July '41
by the Vichy government to Aryanize businesses
or capital interests held by Jews, whether French or foreign.
It had been preceded by a German ordinance
setting up a system of financial and economic Aryanization.
Indeed, that was a deadly revelation.
Every false Aryanization required a temporary administrator to be named.
And of course, Laubreaux has just nominated himself.
Yes, he's let his intention be known.
It's fictive, but in the film, he's the one...
who'd love to run the theater.
As temporary administrator.
So, she goes to negotiate.
I have an appointment with Dr. Dietrich.
This Dr. Dietrich did exist, but didn't deal with theater.
However, he did work for the German propaganda office,
handling censorship for the occupying forces.
An exchange of looks that speaks volumes.
Such a woman would have problems later, in 1944.
The best hotels in Paris were requisitioned by the Germans.
The Lutetia, among others.
The Lutetia was occupied by the counter-espionage service.
Hotels on the Rue de Rivoli...
in particular.
I see. You had a 5:00 appointment, but it's impossible.
- Why? I can wait. - I'm sorry.
You're wasting your time. Dr. Dietrich left for the eastern front.
- That's plausible. - We've moved forward in time.
Yes, we're nearing the end of '43,
but we learn something else...
I'd like to have a word with you.
Mme. Steiner, I'm an admirer of yours.
Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Bergen.
You came to see Dr. Dietrich. - That's right.
He has not left for the eastern front.
He shot himself last night in his hotel room.
I wonder if it's not It. Heller,
the officer in charge of French cultural affairs,
who like Janger, was a key figure
in terms of laying out French cultural policy
for the occupying regime in Paris.
It's just a guess.
Have mercy, my God
It's for our country
This is a rendezvous scene.
It's plausible, to meet in a church.
You could, but not too much.
Normally, the only condition was not to stay too long.
After five minutes, you'd leave.
Such meetings were extremely precise.
Wait five minutes, no more.
Save France in the name of the Holy Spirit
That's a song dating from the post-Commune years.
Yes, I believe so.
The Sacred Heart had been sung in churches for a long time.
Have betrayed you not knowing what they were doing
May it be born again and be indelible
So, normally, at a rendezvous like this,
he can't stay too long.
He must keep a low profile.
Save France in the name of the Holy Spirit
Note that they sing: “Save France.” The lyrics are quite ambiguous.
France's spiritual salvation, I suppose.
There's the Gestapo agent.
Richard Bohringer in one of his first roles.
He checks his watch.
To me, he looks really suspicious in those clothes.
There, he's been nabbed.
No, not yet.
I think he has, and they're trying to get the other.
He'll make a sign.
Save France in the name of the Holy Spirit
The Gestapo know there's a rendezvous. He signals...
He's about to be nabbed.
He's cornered like a rat.
Bohringer is quite menacing as a Gestapo agent.
Which delighted the beloved apostle
We'll probably see a Citroén “Traction Avant.”
Of course, a black Citroén.
Popular with the Resistance, but especially the Gestapo.
They were used by the French and German Gestapo.
I must speak to you.
I'm sorry, Mme. Steiner, but it's absolutely necessary.
I'm leaving the theater. I'm giving up my part in a month from now,
so you'll have to replace me.
Sure. I should have expected this.
No, no, it's not what you think. Not at all.
I know you're mad at me ever since the fight with Daxiat,
and I understand your reaction perfectly.
But even if you won't speak to me, or meet my eyes,
we're a good acting team, and I must confess I love the play
and my role more and more each day, so it's not that.
You don't need to justify yourself. You're free.
I'm not even sure we'll need to replace you
because we might have to close the theater in a month.
I suppose you got a better offer elsewhere, with Hebertot I'm sure.
No. I'm not going to work for Hebertot or for any other theater.
I'm temporarily giving up acting
to join the Resistance.
She's furious. One doesn't leave the theater for the Resistance.
She slaps him as a woman in lo vs, but also
because one should never abandon one's passion.
That's Truffaut's message.
Should he have mentioned the Resistance?
Usually, you kept quiet about it.
Which proves he's a rather awkward hero.
- A youngster. - Not very heroic.
And highly impetuous. Maybe that's why she slaps him.
Mostly, she's mad because he is leaving her.
Yes, of course.
All right then, since I'm not wanted in this house.
This is what happened. It was on October 24.
Helena went for a walk and simply disappeared.
- They want to search the cellar. - The cellar?
A raid, in the middle of a performance.
Probably due to an anonymous tip. That was often the case.
Or the young man they arrested gave information under torture.
Perhaps.
Follow me, but be quiet.
Right,
but Helena is so dependent on me that it may seem peculiar to strangers.
She behaves like a child toward me.
I don't know why, but she's always overly emotional with me.
At times she seems too humble.
You're right. We'll never know why she feels so guilty.
This impurity she feels in her makes her seek for more inferior people's affection.
What do you think Bohringer is? A French agent?
Probably a French Gestapo agent.
He could also be a member of the militia.
In any case, a henchman of the occupier.
They're quite zealous...
There were all kinds of special police brigades,
as suited the time.
- Do you know these two guys? - They're with the Civil Defense.
No, they're with the Gestapo. I'm sure. I recognize one of them.
The Gestapo.
Yes, but Gestapo was a generic term.
It also referred to the French agents.
Yes, love hurts. Like a bird of prey, it circles over us
as if to threaten us.
But this threat can also be a promise of happiness.
You're so beautiful, Helena, that it hurts to look at you.
- Yesterday you said it was a joy. - It is a joy, and it's painful.
No curtain calls tonight.
What's going on, Raymond? - No curtain calls.
Civil Defense wants to inspect the cellar.
Certainly not Civil Defense.
No way...
Their job was to watch the sky, not cellars.
She brings Bernard into her secret.
Lucas, this is Bernard Granger.
Bernard, my husband.
Don't just stand there like statues! You've got to take everything and hide.
We've waited long enough. Take us to the cellar!
No. Please, Mme. Steiner wants to take you there herself.
Excuse me.
- I'll talk to Mme. Steiner myself. - No, please.
She's changing! Be reasonable.
- What's going on here? - So what? We all make mistakes.
- We've been patient long enough! - Wait quietly.
Three minutes. Give me three minutes.
There.
I haven't been down there in ages. It's probably full of rats.
Do you have the key, Mme. Steiner? - Yes.
Thanks. Watch your heads.
I'm no expert, but it seems to me not deep enough for a shelter.
Civil Defense inspecting a possible shelter.
A plausible explanation.
They're looking for a shelter.
Not much of a shelter, a bomb would pulverize it.
Perhaps a shelter for use during performances...
In any case, it's been condemned since '39.
Yet, concerning those years, recently we've posed the question:
Did one have the right to continue doing theater, making films?
For Truffaut, it was obvious. One had to continue.
Should one have sung or acted under the Occupation?
Should one have filmed or written during the Occupation?
I feel the answer depends on how one wrote and sung, etc.
Where it gets tricky, is when people say,
after the fact...
“I did it to resist, it was my form of resistance.”
You know, the Germans made an interesting distinction between
“Resistenz” and “Widerstand”...
“Widerstand” was armed, active resistance,
resistance through tracts or insurrection.
That's what they called “Widerstand,” active resistance.
“Resistenz”, which the Germans used with regard to Hitler,
was “not playing the game.”
Keeping one's distance.
Not playing the game.
So, in that sense, if you asked,
in terms of cultural consumption,
why go to the theater, why listen to singing?
One answer could be: “Okay, we're occupied,
but we 're holding out. We 're still here.
We won't give in. We need entertainment. ”
That goes for the audiences.
At the level of production, that meant writers saying, “I need to write, ”
directors saying, “I need to direct,” and so on...
“And maybe I'll make veiled references...”
Yet to later claim: “But we resisted,”
that's nonsense. - They needed German permission.
In any case, at every performance
you had at least 50 representatives of the Occupation authorities.
Sartre's plays were performed for German officers.
But you still needed a permit.
Yes, otherwise the censors would ban it.
The same went for films.
All of which meant that directors themselves
practiced self-censorship, they knew how far they could go.
“Ambivalence” is perhaps too convenient a word,
but we historians now use it to describe that situation.
During that period, they did this and that, but not this or that.
They did one thing, and at the same time it could be useful.
And I think, in a way,
Truffaut really grasped
that ambivalence.
His film is not black and White, not ”us” and “them. ”
There's an undercurrent of resistance.
There's Marion Steiner, and she understands
that it's good to stand up to Laubreaux,
to give him a punch in the face.
But it's very subtly portrayed.
No moral lessons are given.
Nothing is forced upon the viewer.
Instead we come to an understanding of that epoch,
which was grim for everyone,
and downright dark for some.
All those who were excluded, hunted down,
and above all, for the Jews.
Foreign Jews like Lucas,
and also Israelite Jews, French Jews.
So a way had to be found to portray
those grim, dark years.
And I think he managed to get it across
without, 60 years later, indulging in moral lessons
about what should have been done in the name of the Resistance.
No, that ambivalence,
I feel he captured it without overdoing it,
while remaining faithful
to the spirit of the time,
with only two reservations:
It's the acting milieu, so it's very specific,
and a relatively wealthy milieu.
It took money to live that way.
I'll leave it for my replacement.
GERARD DEPARDIEU One scene that bothered me
was the kissing scene,
with the camera movement to the silk underwear.
That bothered you?
Well, it's always very delicate, kissing someone.
I told him.
Just like it bothered me to beat FennyArdanr in The Woman Next Door.
Between silk underwear, kisses on the mouth
and beating someone...
Why did it bother you?
Well, it's always a delicate affair.
And he said to me...
“Silk knickers are so pretty,
well-cut, very pretty.”
After Bernard left,
Disappearance went on with Lucien Ballard in the role of Carl.
Please, don't say a word. You have no right.
Do you think Mr. Carl will come back, Mommy?
Nadine Marsac, now famous, takes off each night right after her last lines.
A chauffeur waits for her backstage and drives her to the studios.
She plays the lead in Angels of Mercy.
She's reunited with Arlette,
who designs the costumes and sets for the film.
On June 6, 1944, the Allies land in Normandy.
Everyday life is more and more difficult for the Parisians,
yet they crowd in greater number to watch movies and plays.
Isn't Mr. Eric with you, madame?
One night, instead of finding refuge inside the subway station,
the audience stays outside the theater
to watch the ballet of British planes over the skies of Paris.
Many theaters are shutdown for lack of electricity.
JEAN-PIERRE AZEMA: That's true.
But thanks to Raymond's ingenuity, the Montmartre Theatre remains open.
He thought to replace the footlights with a dozen automobile headlights.
That was true.
A few theaters did so.
Germany's defeat is now inevitable.
After 813 days and nights spent in the cellar of his theater,
Lucas Steiner is impatient to see daylight.
It's one of those strange days in which gunfire is exchanged
without anyone knowing who is shooting at who.
Yes, the problem of snipers.
The militia.
Are you all right?
No. Watch out.
- The Cross of Lorraine. - Painted across an I VF poster.
Here's that episode which...
I think refers to -
- Sacha Guilty. - The arrest of Guilty.
Who then spent several months in prison.
Here we have Laubreaux wearing a German uniform.
It may have been a war correspondent's uniform.
- Laubreaux survived? - Yes, indeed.
He slipped into Spain in '46 or '47.
He survived, like others, like Darquier de Peiiepoix.
Yes, some collaborators survived, but many were arrested.
He was condemned to death in absentia, so he remained in Spain.
He was charged with serving the enemy,
Article 75 of the Penal Code.
So, the epilogue.
Very clever, as we don't know...
Whether we're on stage or not.
Typical Truffaut.
Did the Césars change much for you?
GERARD DEPARDIEU No, nothing really changed.
I'd been nominated almost every year.
The first time was with Gabin,
and he said to me in the elevator:
“Kid, in my day there were no awards.”
Cinema had changed since then.
That was in '76. Can you imagine?
“I never got an award!”
- Never an award - Him of all people!
Such awards didn't exist, but today,
they're part of a whole economy.
You did The Dominici Affair with Gabin?
I did lots of things with Gabin.
Well, not lots.
He was like Blier and Gabin, they took me under their wing.
There was a kind of race to see who'd be the father.
The grandad!
I was really lucky. I was reared in the company of people like
Marcel Dalia, Michel Simon,
Gabin, Brasseur.
I did a play at the Gaité-Montparnasse.
The same kind of theater, the same thing.
I'd done those kinds of readings.
Really?
Whereas Truffaut never did theater. - No.
Catherine didn't either.
She was scared of theater, but I reassured her.
So, this is the Liberation period? Or later?
JEAN-PERRE AZEMA: The Liberation's over.
We've seen the battles.
The shoot-outs between the militias and counter-militias.
It's Steiner! Look, over there.
- Yes! It's him! - Yes, he's back.
- Long live Steiner! - They've forgotten he's Jewish.
He's being honored.
- The happy ending's a bit too. -- - Happy.
Yes, he overdoes it a bit.
As if it were the same France?
No, not necessarily.
Not to that extent.
To such an extent...
perhaps it's not possible.
But he chose to portray it that way,
as relatively calm.
So in the end she finds a degree of harmony
between two men.
A frequent theme in Truffaut's work.
Songs like Priére a Zumba,
Mon amant de Saint-Jean,
Sombreros et mantilles.
It's really the popular music of the time, everyone listened to it.
There was a bit of this and that, jazz and Django Reinhardt,
but this too, was just as ambivalent.
French music
resisting the German music of the occupier.
Again, this notion that we could always resist...
Without openly saying so.
It might not have been much, but it shouldn't be ignored.
Thank you.