IMDb RATING
6.8/10
1.2K
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During World War II, just before the liberation of France, a beautiful lady finds herself in the midst of bizarre doings from her admirers.During World War II, just before the liberation of France, a beautiful lady finds herself in the midst of bizarre doings from her admirers.During World War II, just before the liberation of France, a beautiful lady finds herself in the midst of bizarre doings from her admirers.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 1 nomination
Christian Barbier
- French Colonel
- (uncredited)
Valérie Camille
- English Girl
- (uncredited)
Marc Dudicourt
- Schimmelbeck
- (uncredited)
Anne Guegan
- Waitress in Bar
- (uncredited)
Paul Le Person
- Roger
- (uncredited)
Marie Marc
- Dimanche's Housekeeper
- (uncredited)
Alexis Micha
- L'enfant
- (uncredited)
Robert Moor
- Plantier the Gardener
- (uncredited)
Jean-Pierre Moulin
- Lieutenant
- (uncredited)
Donald O'Brien
- American Officer
- (uncredited)
Pierre Rousseau
- German Orderly
- (uncredited)
Carroll Saint Paul
- Elegant woman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- ConnectionsFeatured in Tout est une question de rythme (2014)
Featured review
This film A MATTER OF RESISTANCE is a French film whose original title is LA VIE DE Château. The 23 year-old Catherine Deneuve, having already appeared in 16 feature films by that age, plays the female lead. Her real name was Catherine Dorléac, being the younger of two beautiful sisters who both quickly became screen goddesses. The year after this film was made, her older sister, Francoise Dorléac, died tragically at the age of only 25, and the whole of France was plunged into mourning. Catherine had until then had been regarded as the lesser of the two, and suddenly she was the only one left. These twists of fate affected the French public and French film industry, and no doubt Catherine 'Deneuve' herself most of all, profoundly. Francoise was really very amazing, and the loss of her was traumatic in Europe somewhat as the early death of James Dean was in America: always mourned, never forgotten. Catherine Deneuve later on developed her cool exterior, but in this film she plays a pouting, spoilt spitfire of a young girl with such passion that the ice queen who was to come cannot even be guessed at. In most of her later films, she appears tall. But in fact she is only 5 feet 6 inches, and here her small size is very evident. She is wearing very obvious sixties makeup with all the prominent eye-liner and looking very much a girl of the 1960s. That is rather odd, considering that the action of the film is set in 1944 near the coast of Normandy. No one in 1944 looked like that, but never mind. The film itself, directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau (perhaps best known for THE HORSEMAN ON THE ROOF, 1995), is delightful. It is directed with such a light Gallic touch, and is extremely entertaining and well made. Deneuve plays the daughter of the farm manager who has married a somewhat older man who is lord of the manor and lives in the huge old 18th century Normandy château. He is played with droll confidence by the ever-engaging Philippe Noiret, then aged 36. Of course we are not used to seeing Deneuve and Noiret when young like this, so it takes some adjusting to our expectations. The film is in black and white, or as the French say in reverse: blanc et noir. It is difficult to believe that Noiret, who made 153 films and was such a mainstay of the French cinema, died as long ago as 2006. So time passes and carries all away. Mary Marquet is superb as Noiret's bossy and commanding mother, a gentlewoman of the old school who will take no nonsense from anybody, including obnoxious Nazi soldiers billeting themselves in her house. D Day is coming soon, and the Resistance are active in the vicinity of the château, preparing for American paratroopers to drop onto the chateau's lawn. But the Nazis have planted sharp stakes in the ground for any paratroopers to land on. There are many complications and intrigues, but the film is chiefly concerned with the comical antics of the characters, and even the chief Nazi officer billeted in the house becomes a figure of fun. This is a light-hearted film, and the backdrop of the War is seen more as an inconvenience to the lives of the characters than as a tragedy and a danger to the country, no matter in how many intrigues they may be involved. Much of the film is devoted to a romantic comedy based upon three men all infatuated with the tempestuous Deneuve. It is really a lot of fun.
- robert-temple-1
- Feb 10, 2017
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Zivot u dvorcu
- Filming locations
- Château de Neuville, Gambais, Yvelines, France(castle exteriors)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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By what name was A Matter of Resistance (1966) officially released in India in English?
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