Line of Demarcation (1966)
"La ligne de démarcation" (original title)

1941. A little town in the Jura is cut in half by a river that forms the border between Nazi-occupied France and the free zone.

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Claude Chabrol, Colonel Rémy

Stars:

Jean Seberg, Maurice Ronet, Daniel Gélin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Seberg	...	Mary, comtesse de Damville
Maurice Ronet	...	Pierre, comte de Damville
Daniel Gélin	...	Doctor Jacques Lafaye
Jacques Perrin	...	Michel, le radio
Stéphane Audran	...	La femme du Dr. Lafaye / Wife
Reinhard Kolldehoff	...	Major von Pritsch
Claude Léveillée	...	Le capitaine Duncan Presgrave
Roger Dumas	...	Chéti, le passeur / Passer
Mario David	...	Urbain, le garde-chasse
Jean Yanne	...	Tricot, l'instituteur
Jean-Louis Maury	...	Un agent de la gestapo / Gestapo agent
Pierre Gualdi	...	Le curé
Serge Bento	...	Le coiffeur
René Havard	...	Loiseau
Jean-Louis Le Goff	...	Tavier

Storyline

1941. A little town in the Jura is cut in half by a river that forms the border between Nazi-occupied France and the free zone.

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Plot Keywords:

jura | nazi occupied france | river | french resistance | demarcation | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

May 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Line of Demarcation

Filming Locations:

Belmont, Jura, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Productions Georges de Beauregard, Rome Paris Films, Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie (SNC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

User Reviews

A convincing portrait of the French under nazi occupation

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.