Cinema of the Occupation and Vichy France: Examining and Contextualizing Le Corbeau and Les Inconnus dans la maison
Date
2020
Authors
Paramchuk, Michael
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Guillemets : revue étudiante d’études francophones
Abstract
The period of Occupation and Vichy France was a trying time for French cinema. The months following the Franco–German armistice of June 22, 1940, saw France become a divided nation. The arts suffered and the film industry was no exception; film production slowed considerably in the months following the French defeat. Destroyed production houses and cinemas, a lack of production resources, such as film reels, and a separation of personnel from their equipment was to blame. By late 1940, the Comité d’organisation de l’industrie cinématographique (COIC) was created to regulate and represent the French film industry and production slowly resumed.2 I intend to examine two of the films produced and released during the years 1940–44 and provide a comparison and an overall critique of the Vichy and Occupation film industries and climates. These films will be Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Le Corbeau and Henri Decoin’s Les Inconnus dans la maison, both produced and financed by the Nazi-owned and operated Continental Films. Both films provide a unique take on France’s
occupied society and lend to our contemporary view of French film during the period.
Description
Keywords
travaux universitaires
Citation
Paramchuk, M. (2020). Cinema of the Occupation and Vichy France: examining and contextualizing Le Corbeau and Les Inconnus dans la maison. Guillemets : revue étudiante d’études francophones, 1(1), 62-74.