Is Paris on fire?
Is Paris on fire? is a French - American war film (released October 1966), based on the factual report of the same name ( Paris brûle-t-il? ) by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins and of the events surrounding the liberation of the French capital from German occupation during of the Second World War in August 1944. The film was shot in black and white .
action
At the beginning of August 1944, Hitler appointed General Dietrich von Choltitz as the commander of Greater Paris and, at a meeting in Wolfsschanze , gave him the strict order not to let the city fall into the hands of the enemy "not or only as a field of rubble" (the rubble field order was actually issued issued in writing on August 23, 1944).
In Paris, the leaders of the Resistance are now waiting for the arrival of the Allied troops, but they have decided to bypass the city for the time being and advance directly to the German border. The question therefore arises as to whether the French resistance should take up arms itself in order to free itself from foreign rule through an uprising against the weakened occupiers. The disagreement on this point is exacerbated by the fact that the communists under the leadership of Henri Rol-Tanguy and the Gaullists under Jacques Chaban-Delmas watch each other suspiciously and try to pre-empt each other in order to gain the glory for the liberation of To win Paris and to be able to make political capital out of it after the war.
After his arrival at the Hôtel Le Meurice , which serves as the city headquarters of Greater Paris , Choltitz plans the defense of the city and calls for reinforcements from Denmark and heavy weapons. He also instructs the pioneer captain Ebernach to prepare all the important buildings and cultural monuments for demolition. At the mediation of the Swedish consul Nordling , Choltitz agrees to the release of the political prisoners, but most of them are transported to the Buchenwald concentration camp by the SS . In addition, 35 young French people who wanted to procure weapons on their own are betrayed by a spy to the Gestapo and shot in the Bois de Boulogne .
In order to forestall the communists who are calling for an uprising on posters, the Gaullists occupy the headquarters of the Paris police and now declare for their part that the liberation has begun. Immediately there were the first skirmishes with the surprised German troops, who inflicted losses on the Resistance but did not break their resistance. Since both sides want to buy time, Nordling can negotiate a temporary ceasefire . At a meeting of the national resistance committee, however, the communists succeeded in convincing a slim majority of the delegates of the need to call the ceasefire.
In view of this development, Rol-Tanguy decided to make direct contact with the Allied troops, as only they could prevent the defeat of the poorly equipped Resistance fighters and liberate Paris. In all sorts of detours and in constant danger of death, Rol's colleague Gallois succeeds in crossing the front line and making his way into General Patton's headquarters . There he persuaded the Allied leadership to agree to an immediate advance to Paris and to entrust the French 2nd Panzer Division of Major General Leclerc with this mission.
The French and American units finally reached Paris in time to save the troubled Resistance and liberate Paris. Choltitz, who - refusing the Fiihrer's order - did not issue the destruction order, surrenders the city to the Allies. Adolf Hitler, who asks on the phone: "Is Paris on fire?", No longer receives an answer.
Others
First screenings 1966 (cinema):
- France: October 26th
- Federal Republic of Germany: October 28
- Sweden: November 2nd
- USA: November 10 (New York)
- UK: December 7th (London)
criticism
"A film that strives for contemporary historical objectivity, is well staged and has an effective cast, but the overall impression remains ambiguous because the historical events appear too entertaining drama due to the cinematic embellishment."
“Spectacular and elaborate attempt to reconstruct the events surrounding the liberation of Paris (1944). Apart from the one-sided, Gaullist orientation, it is an apolitical film that simplifies historical facts and reduces them to the personal experiences of soldiers and civilians. In spite of its likely audience success, the nature of this film is neither a truth-serving document nor entertainment. Superfluous."
“In 1965, Clément returned to his other favorite subject, the time of the German occupation. With a huge international cast of stars, the director reconstructed the days of the liberation of the French capital from the German occupation in August 1944 in “Brennt Paris?”, An attempt at great attention to detail but also with just as much fatigue. "
Awards
The film was nominated for an Oscar in the categories of best equipment and best cinematography in 1967 , but came away empty-handed. In the same year, composer Maurice Jarre was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best film music and also received nothing.
See also
- Diplomacy by Volker Schlöndorff , 2014
Web links
- Is Paris on fire? in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Comparison of the cuts German version - UK DVD by Brennt Paris? at Schnittberichte.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ A copy of the text can be found here
- ↑ Is Paris on fire? In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .