Line of Demarcation

As is well documented Claude Chabrol made some pretty awful films in the 1960's before hitting the jackpot with 'Les Biches'. The film under review however is decidedly one of the better ones from that 'fallow' period. Based upon the memoirs of Colonel Remy, one of the many pseudonyms of famed resistance operator Gilbert Regnault and filmed in black and white by Jean Rabier, it deals with life in a French village under the Nazis. The capitulation of France in 1940 and the 'behaviour' of its citizens under the occupation has always been highly emotive and opinions are sharply divided. People are people of course and were our country to have been occupied I have no doubt that some would have resisted and some collaborated while most would have simply looked on from the sidelines.

This is a gripping, visceral piece with excellent work from Maurice Ronet, Jean Seberg, Daniel Gélin and Stéphane Audran. Miss Seberg is especially touching in her role and the final sequence involving Ronet packs a punch. There is also a strong performance from Noel Roquevert as the innkeeper and a chilling turn by Jean-Louis Maury as a Gestapo agent.

Marcel Ophuls' damning documentary about life in occupied France, 'The Sorrow and the Pity', came out three years later which compelled director Jean-Pierre Melville to attempt to redress the balance by making the brilliant 'Army in the Shadows'. Although Chabrol's film cannot begin to match the power of Melville's masterpiece, there are scenes and characters that will stay with you. Chabrol came full circle in 1993 with the excellent 'L'Oeil de Vichy'.

"La ligne de demarcation" is arguably the most successful Chabrol movie of his transitional period -roughly from "l'oeil du malin" (1963) to "la route de Corinthe (1967).

Although there are many characters ,this is a well-constructed script ,adapted from the Colonel Remy's book.The film is dedicated to French men and women who became smugglers and helped soldiers and Jews to cross the demarcation line which divided France into two parts:occupied and unoccupied zone during WW2.

Among many characters the couple Maurice Ronet/Jean Seberg stands out:he is a defeated officer,his war is over ,and he cannot get over the 1940 debacle.On the contrary her war has only begun .she's involved in resistance and he thinks at the beginning of the movie that finally what happened was fair cause the Germans are the strongest.Seberg's beauty illuminates the movie:her face when she hears the coded message "It's a long way to Gibraltar" is one of the rare moments of happiness in a somber movie.French are not all depicted as heroes.Some are hateful cowards ,who pretend they help the Jews and gives them away to the gestapo.

In its way,"la ligne de démarcation" foreshadows several aspects of Chabrol future heyday.Two of his favorite actors ,Stephane Audran and Jean Yanne are already here ("le boucher").The entomological depiction of the villages like in the aforementioned movie is here too.And in some scenes (the attic,the burial, the forest where the patrol is on the prowl) Chabrol displays his skills of master of suspense .Good cast.

In "La ligne de demarcation," Claude Chabrol delivers a captivating portrayal of life in a French village during World War II, exploring the complexities of occupation and resistance. The film's cinematography, done by Jean Rabier in black and white, skillfully captures the somber atmosphere of the wartime setting. The deserted streets and shuttered houses create a bleak winter backdrop, intensifying the gravity of the characters' situations.

The ensemble cast, led by Maurice Ronet and Jean Seberg, delivers compelling performances. Ronet, as the defeated officer grappling with the aftermath of the 1940 debacle, brings depth to his character. Seberg, in a touching role as a member of the Resistance, adds emotional resonance to the narrative. The supporting cast, including Daniel Gélin and Stéphane Audran, contributes to the film's overall authenticity.

Chabrol's meticulous direction presents a wide range of vivid characters, from patriotic and altruistic individuals to those who collaborate with the occupiers. The portrayal of the demarcation line, both physical and metaphorical, serves as a compelling symbol of the moral choices faced by the characters. The tension builds as the villagers navigate the complexities of living under German occupation, with moments of human warmth providing relief amid the gloom.

The film effectively captures the human treachery and brutality experienced by the villagers, offering a convincing portrait of French society during Nazi occupation. While not devoid of optimism, the film maintains a sense of muted hope in the face of suffering and sacrifice. "La ligne de demarcation" stands as a significant work in Chabrol's filmography, showcasing his ability to blend gripping storytelling with a nuanced exploration of moral dilemmas in times of war.

In a French village in the winter of 1941, the river forms the line of demarcation between the German-occupied zone and the Vichy zone. Over the bridge comes a released prisoner of war, Count de Damville, who is physically wounded and mentally defeated. His château has become the headquarters of Major von Pritsch and he accepts German rule. His English wife the Countess (Jean Seberg. looking more attractive than in any other film of hers I can think of) has meanwhile joined the Resistance and is helping downed Allied airmen escape over the river.

We meet many other inhabitants of the village, mostly patriotic, altruistic and brave but some selfish, cowardly and traitorous. We meet various people they are smuggling over the river, including an unfortunate Jewish family. We meet Resistance fighters, ready to take on the Germans with guns and grenades. And we meet many of the Germans, with von Pritsch and his soldiers doing their job relatively honestly while the Gestapo go about their sordid business with characteristic ruthlessness.

Chabrol's black and white camera repeatedly scans the deserted car-free streets and shuttered houses of this bleak wartime winter. Human warmth, where people show love and support for each other, relieves the gloom but human treachery and brutality intensifies it. No laughs and little joy in the film, but that was true of much of Europe at that unhappy time.

Overall well worth seeing for the mounting tension, the wide range of vivid characters, the depiction of a small community under huge stress and the ultimate, admittedly muted, optimism that the suffering and sacrifices of the villagers will prove worthwhile.

In May 1940, the French army had suffered an astonishingly quick defeat against the Germans. As a consequence of the armistice signed in June 1940, France was divided into two parts bordered by the so-called line of demarcation. The northern part, including the entire Atlantic coast, was occupied by the Germans. The south, called "Zone libre", remained under French government. It was located at Vichy and headed by Word War I hero maréchal Pétain.

The film is set in Winter 1941 in a village divided by the demarcation line, which coincides with a river at this section. A bridge crosses the river. Everyone who wants two pass over has to plead his legitimation to the Germans, who have set up a military command on the northern side in the castle of count Damville (played by Maurice Ronet). The count, a captain of the defeated French army, returns home from war, multiply wounded. He can walk with the help of a cane only. But he is also morally damaged. He doesn't believe in the sense of resistance against the Germans any more, quite in contrast to his wife, the countess (Jean Seberg). She is British-born, listens every evening to the BBC broadcast to France and helps a British crew, whose plane has been shot down, to escape to Gibraltar.

The film offers a wide cross-section of possible behavior in times of occupation. There are collaborators, informers, résistance fighters, patriotic veterans from World War I, an upright doctor (Daniel Gélin) and a courageous teacher (Jean Yanne). The Germans are represented by an army major (Reinhard Koldehoff), who tries to keep his minimum standard of military decency, while two Gestapo agents act without any legal or moral inhibitions. The conflict rises to a climax when a British radio operator, working for the résistance, is found out and injured by the Germans. His comrades kidnap him from the hospital, and he hides at the teacher's house, where the countess nurses him. It turns out that the demarcation line not only cuts the French territory in two, but also segregates the French population into true patriots and vile cowards. The crossing of the bridge can also symbolize the change of moral sides.

This may seem a bit too clear-cut. Indeed, with the exception of the major, the Germans are represented in the usual stereotypes. But the the French, especially the count, are shown with their doubts and weaknesses. And there are situations where you have to chose between one of two possibilities. A good deal of suspense is generated by the permanent danger of being found out by the Germans. So this film offers not only moral instruction, but also exciting pleasure, conveyed by good performances of Ronet and Seberg.