The Officer's Ward (2001)
"La chambre des officiers" (original title)

The first days of WWI. Adrien, a young and handsome lieutenant, is wounded by a piece of shrapnel. He will spend the entire wartime at the Val-de-Grâce Hospital, in Paris. Five long years, ... See full summary »

Director:

François Dupeyron

Writers:

Marc Dugain (novel), François Dupeyron

Stars:

Eric Caravaca, Denis Podalydès, Grégori Derangère

2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric Caravaca	...	Adrien
Denis Podalydès	...	Henri
Grégori Derangère	...	Pierre
Sabine Azéma	...	Anaïs
André Dussollier	...	The surgeon
Isabelle Renauld	...	Marguerite
Géraldine Pailhas	...	Clémence
Jean-Michel Portal	...	Alain
Guy Tréjan	...	The minister
Xavier De Guillebon	...	Louis
Catherine Arditi	...	Adrien's mother
Paul Le Person	...	Adrien's grandfather
Circé Lethem	...	Adrien's sister
Elise Tielrooy	...	Nurse Cécile
Agathe Dronne	...	Adrien's future wife

Storyline

The first days of WWI. Adrien, a young and handsome lieutenant, is wounded by a piece of shrapnel. He will spend the entire wartime at the Val-de-Grâce Hospital, in Paris. Five long years, and his life will change forever...

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | desperation | paris france | chalkboard | soldier | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

26 September 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Die Offizierskammer

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 48,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$998,447 (France) (28 September 2001)

Gross:

$998,447 (France) (28 September 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARP Sélection, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Adrien is passing through the village there is a British 18-pounder field gun visible in the background. The British were not involved in the fighting yet at this stage. The French relied almost exclusively on their "75s" and almost certainly did not use British guns.

User Reviews

Fabulous, Moving and historical, questions importance of appearance

Beautiful film, after a difficult (almost unbearable) first half hour in WWI Parisian hospital. Beautiful costumes and settings, great acting...very touching at times.

Really modern with its theme around the physical appearance and the way we accept ourselves and the other's look.

A great tribute to the "gueules cassées" (broken faces) of the World War I.

I rank it among the David Lynch's "Elephant Man", or Van Dormael "the eighth day", both festival winners. No less... 9/10