Le dernier été (TV 1997)

True story about George Mandel, a high-profile minister in the pre-war 3rd French republic. As a wealthy member of the bourgeoisie, he is treated with disdain by the left, while he is held ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Goretta

Writers:

Jean-Michel Gaillard, Nicolas Sarkozy (novel)

Stars:

Jacques Villeret, Catherine Frot, Emilie Delaunay

Cast

Credited cast:
Jacques Villeret	...	Georges Mandel
Catherine Frot	...	Béatrice Bretty
Emilie Delaunay	...	Claude Mandel
Jean Dautremay	...	Paul Reynaud
Jean Davy	...	Maréchal Pétain
Victor Garrivier	...	Léon Blum
Geoffrey Bateman	...	Le général Spears
Jean Lescot	...	Le directeur de l'école
Pierre Baillot	...	Le médecin Clément
Gérard Croce	...	L'homme ministère PTT
Rémy Darcy	...	Adrien
Maurice Antoni	...	L'huissier préfecture de Bordeaux
Pierre Banderet	...	Le gardien de la Santé
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patrice Bouret
Jean-Pol Brissart

Storyline

True story about George Mandel, a high-profile minister in the pre-war 3rd French republic. As a wealthy member of the bourgeoisie, he is treated with disdain by the left, while he is held in even lower esteem by the right because he is Jewish. Once the Germans march into France in 1940, his position becomes even more precarious.

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Plot Keywords:

based on novel

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

15 December 1997 (France)

Also Known As:

Der letzte Sommer

Company Credits

Production Co:

France 2 (FR2), France 3 (FR 3), Jem Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Good story but...

98 % of the time, French TV movies are badly made. This one ain't an exception and it's sad, because it had a very strong story. It's about a jewish politician in France at the end of the 1930's and the early 1940's. Villeret plays, in a wonderful way, the real and sad story of Georges Mandal. In the 1930's he tells everybody that the Nazis will make a terrible war, but nobody listens to him, because he is jew. When the Germans enters in France, Mandal refuses to collaborate to the Petain government and sent in jail. He will be shot. Comic actor Jacques Villeret - he becomes better every year - plays this dramatical role in a very serious way. The problem is the filmaking. Very ordinary and sometimes bad. But it's very interesting to see Villeret in that kind of casting. After that, he will have great success with Le dîner de cons & Les enfants du marais. It is a great surprise, because in the 1960's, 1970's and most of the 1980's, he was just a little comic guy. Now he's becoming a very great actor.