Les Milles (1995)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Sébastien Grall

Writers:

Sébastien Grall (screenplay)
Sébastien Grall (story)
(more)

Release Date:

23 August 1995 (France)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot Keywords:

Shower Scene | WWII | Joke | Circus Freak | Bureaucracy

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jean-Pierre Marielle	...	Cmndnt. Perrochon
Ticky Holgado	...	Capt. Moinard
Rüdiger Vogler	...	Lion Feuchtwanger
Philippe Noiret	...	Le général
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Mary-Jane Cooper
François Perrot	...	Col. Maurice Charvet
François Berléand	...	Lt. Boisset
Jean-Marie Winling	...	Le médecin-chef Garraud
Bonnafet Tarbouriech	...	L'adjudant Bordier
Eric Petitjean	...	Sgt. Stora
Bruno Raffaelli	...	Jean Poinblanc
Hubert Saint-Macary	...	Locomotive mechanic
Jean-Yves Thual	...	Le nain
Henryk Bista	...	Otto von Offenberg
Jan Peszek	...	Alexander Hazenfoeder
Rafal Walentynowicz	...	Franck Wolf
Marek Walczewski	...	Prof. Pick
Wladyslaw Kowalski	...	Max Ernst
Andrzej Mastalerz	...	Erik von Offenberg
Marcel Novek	...	Légionnaire
Eugeniusz Priwieziencew	...	Le paysan
Tadeusz Borowski	...	Zippert (architect)
Tomasz Dedek	...	L'homme au Couteau
Piotr Grabowski	...	Oscar Reich
Chantal Bronner	...	Paulette Perrochon
Denis Mariette	...	Régulateur Bayonne
Luc Palun	...	Gendarme mairie
Michel Caccia	...	Patron hôtel de France
Arnaud Bedouët	...	Chef régulateur Marseille
Laurent Labasse	...	Sergent minage pont
Patrick Grieco	...	Chef gare Saint-Gaudens
Denis Blanc	...	Militaire démobilisé 1
Benoît Muracciole	...	Chef régulateur Bayonne
Fedele Papalia	...	Cheminot 1 Bayonne
Pierre Vilanova	...	Cheminot 2 Bayonne
Rafal Sabara	...	Ordonnance du général
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michal Breitenwald	...	Officier QG Staedel
Jerzy Gronowski	...	Détenus Borne 402
Eugenia Herman	...	Soeur supéreure hôpital
Krzysztof Janczak	...	Officier QG Lavergne
Jerzy Karaszkiewicz	...	Détenu lecteur
Artur Krajewski	...	Soldat pont du Rhône
Jacek Labijak	...	Homme Téléphone port
Lech Lotocki	...	Gendarme Puyoo
Ignacy Machowski	...	Gustav Kohn
Janusz Olejniczak	...	Le Pianiste
Tadeusz Olesinski	...	Détenus Borne 402
Jacek Pacocha	...	Régulateur Marseille
Mariusz Pilawski	...	Homme réfectoire
Jacek Ryniewicz	...	Artificier pont du Rhône
Andrzej Saar	...	Chef de gare Puyoo
Joe Sheridan	...	Edgar Foster
Tadeusz Sokolowski	...	Détenus débandade
Hanna Stankówna	...	Madame la Général
Michal Switala	...	Dénenu blessé St Gaudens
Krzysztof Szulejko	...	Détenus débandade
Zdzislaw Szymborski	...	Officier QG Besson
Piotr Tokarz	...	Détenus Borne 402
Marcin Tronski	...	Le Brun
Ryszard Wegrzyn	...	Soldat Provisions
Adam Wolanczyk	...	Détenus débandade
Miroslaw Zbrojewicz	...	Détenu Journal
Christopher Januszczak	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Sébastien Grall

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sébastien Grall		screenplay
Sébastien Grall		story
Jean-Claude Grumberg		screenplay

Produced by
Raymond Blumenthal	....	producer
Lew Rywin	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography by
Andrzej Jaroszewicz		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Joële Van Effenterre

Casting by
Jeanne Biras
Magdalena Szwarcbart

Production Design by
Wladyslaw Bielski
Valérie Grall

Costume Design by
Jacqueline Bouchard
Hanna Golebiowska
Malgorzata Gwiazdecka
Joanna Lambert
Henriette Raz
Ewa Skorza
Malgorzata Stefaniak

Makeup Department
Lucía Bretones-Méndez	....	key makeup artist
Paul de Fisser	....	key hair stylist
Maria Dziewulska	....	makeup artist
Maja Gawinska	....	assistant makeup artist (as Maja Gawinska-Lyczkowska)
Iwona Kaminska	....	assistant makeup artist
Elzbieta Pietrzak	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Jean-Marc Deschamps	....	production manager
Patrick Dorflein	....	unit manager: France
Eric Duchêne	....	assistant unit manager: France
Jan Janik	....	unit manager: Poland
Grazyna Kozlowska	....	unit manager: Poland
Nathalie Nghet	....	assistant production manager
Clément Sentilhes	....	unit manager
Michal Szczerbic	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marek Brodzki	....	first assistant director
Béatrice Humbert	....	trainee assistant director
Sonia Larue	....	second assistant director
Jerzy Mizak	....	assistant director: Poland
Alain Peyrollaz	....	first assistant director
Marcin Rywin	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Marie-Joëlle Arnautin	....	scenic painter
Périne Barre	....	set dresser: France (as Perrine Barre)
Stanislaw Bomba	....	construction coordinator
Ewa Braun	....	set dresser
Didier Chauvin	....	scenic painter
Robert Czesak	....	assistant decorator
Joanna Doroszkiewicz	....	assistant decorator
Rouches Frank	....	property master (as Franck Rouches)
Philippe Hezard	....	first assistant decorator
Joanna Kotowicz	....	assistant decorator
Bogdan Kurzyk	....	construction coordinator
Bogdan Piotrowski	....	assistant property master
Marek Razniewski	....	painter
Grzegorz Rzepecki	....	property master
Kazimierz Stys	....	props

Sound Department
Manfred Arbter	....	sound mixer
Marc-Antoine Beldent	....	boom operator
Jocelyne Cartier-Stern	....	post-synchronization editor
Catherine D'Hoir	....	sound editor
Eric Ferret	....	sound re-recording mixer
Louis Gimel	....	sound
Margot Godow	....	assistant sound mixer
Klaus Hornemann	....	assistant sound mixer
Anne Le Campion	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jacques Lévy	....	sound mixer
Jérôme Lévy	....	foley artist
Marion Lorthioir	....	post-synchronization
Françoise Maulny	....	post-synchronization (as Françoise Maulny-Levy)
Pascal Mazière	....	foley artist
Renaud Michel	....	boom operator
Renaud Michel	....	sound assistant
Brigitte Pradel	....	assistant sound mixer
Ute von Angern	....	assistant sound mixer
Jürgen Wilhelm	....	post-synchronization
Ryszard Wysocki	....	sound assistant

Special Effects by
Kazimierz Wróblewski	....	special effects coordinator (as Kazimierz Wroblewski)

Stunts
Lionel Vitrant	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Stephen Bessac	....	trainee assistant camera
Pierre-Laurent Chénieux	....	camera operator
Jan Górski	....	assistant camera
Dominique Graizely	....	key grip
Slawomir Grinka	....	electrician
Krzysztof Koperski	....	gaffer
Christophe Lapalus	....	trainee assistant camera
Cezary Lisowski	....	electrician
Marek Macioszek	....	electrician
Emil Makowski	....	grip
Piotr Malinkiewicz	....	electrician
Zbigniew Nietresta	....	grip
Tadeusz Obuchowicz	....	first assistant camera
Pascal Pajaud	....	gaffer
Renata Pajchel	....	still photographer
Pawel Pasek	....	electrician
Michel Simoni	....	grip
Zbigniew Szukala	....	assistant camera
Ryszard Szymanski	....	grip
Marek Zajac	....	grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elzbieta Ciszewska	....	costumer
Adam Kocemba	....	costumer
Aurore Vicente	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Vanessa Basté	....	editing intern
Sophie Henocq	....	editing intern
Christine Marier	....	assistant editor
Gaby Wragge	....	post-production coordinator

Music Department
John Timperley	....	music mixer

Transportation Department
Andrzej Besztak	....	transportation coordinator: Poland

Other crew
Urszula Baraniak	....	production accountant
Sophie Barrat	....	administrator
Ewa Brodzka	....	production assistant
Cécile Chevallier	....	assistant: Mr. Blumenthal
Barbara Cieslak	....	production secretary
Malgorzata Dedek	....	administrator
Antonin Dedet	....	assistant location manager
Guy Guermouth	....	groupman
Elzbieta Heleniak	....	administrator
Dominique Segall	....	press attache
Thierry Valletoux	....	reportage
Zoe Zurstrassen	....	script supervisor

Thanks
Alain Depardieu	....	special thanks
Volker Schlöndorff	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Blue Films

Distributors

• Ciby Distribution
• Galileo Medien AG (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Synkronized (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• World Movies (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Copra Films  sound editing
• Elison  sound equipment
• Les Auditoriums de Joinville  post-synchronization (as Auditoriums de Joinville)
• Studio Babelsberg  film lab
• Transpalux  electrical equipment

Also Known As:

Les milles - Gefangen im Lager (Germany)
Les milles: Le train de la liberté

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

France | Germany | Poland

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Poland

Company:

Blue Films

A True Story Where the Altruism of a Man Makes the Difference

In the beginning of the Second World War, Germans, Austrians and persons without nationality living in France are sent to the concentration camp of Les Milles by France government. Commander Charles Perrochon is the responsible for this camp and he promises to the leaders of the prisoners to protect them from the Nazis. When France is invaded by the Germans, Commander Perronchon will disobey orders and his superiors trying to save these men. He gets a train, a ship and money from USA to send about eight hundred of these prisoners to the safety of Casablanca, in Marrocos. The ironic end of this trial unfortunately is history and can not be changed. This movie is not a bad movie, but could be a great one. The screenwriter and the director should have extended much more in the political situation of France and Europe in 1940. Maybe this history is well-known in France, but I am in Brazil and I have never heard about this fact. I believe that viewers from many countries are in the same situation as me. Further, at least some important prisoners should be presented more carefully and deeply, maybe showing their lives before being arrested, to make the viewer understand their importance or social condition and be sympathetic with them. The way these prisoners are showed makes the viewer have no charisma with them. Such a beautiful true story deserved to be more carefully transported to the screens. The way this film is presented, only the altruism and outstanding personality of Charles Perronchon is showed. But, for example, it is not explained the cold relationship between his wife and him. The role of Phillipe Noiret is also too small for such a great actor. The brunet Kristin Scott Thomas has also a small but important character in the plot. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Expresso Para a Liberdade" ("Express For the Freedom")