Captain Conan (1996)

The war exploits of French captain Conan and his men during World War I and during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War.

Director:

Bertrand Tavernier

Writers:

Jean Cosmos (dialogue), Jean Cosmos (screenplay)

Stars:

Philippe Torreton, Samuel Le Bihan, Bernard Le Coq

10 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Philippe Torreton	...	Capt. Conan
Samuel Le Bihan	...	Norbert
Bernard Le Coq	...	Lt. De Scève
Catherine Rich	...	Madeleine Erlane
François Berléand	...	Commandant Bouvier
Claude Rich	...	Gen. Pitard de Lauzier
André Falcon	...	Col. Voirin
Claude Brosset	...	Père Dubreuil
Crina Muresan	...	Ilyana
Cécile Vassort	...	Georgette
François Levantal	...	Forgeol
Pierre Val	...	Jean Erlane
Roger Knobelspiess	...	Maj. Cuypene
Frédéric Pierrot	...	Chef de train
Jean-Claude Calon	...	Officier greffier Loisy

Storyline

Bulgaria near the end of World War I: Conan, warrior and wolf, leads a band of 50 ruthless French fighters who love hand-to-hand combat. Their motto: "We forgot to take prisoners, Captain." At war's end, the unit goes to Bucharest, where Conan tries to keep them out of trouble, defends them when they behave as warriors, and finds he's unsuited for peacetime. His friendship with Norbert, a teacher turned lieutenant, is tested when Norbert accepts a job as court-martial prosecutor because he's learned that Conan will be facing charges and he wants to protect his friend. When they are sent to the Russian border to fight Bolsheviks, Conan is back in his element and Norbert is off the hook.

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Plot Keywords:

warrior | friend | captain | fight | court martial | 

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French Romanian English

Release Date:

5 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Captain Conan

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Les Films Alain Sarde, Little Bear

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Capitaine Tavernier (2014)

User Reviews

disappointing end of the war

I saw this film for two reasons - one is Bertrand Tavernier, the other is the fact that much of the action of the film takes place in my country of birth Romania. I was disappointed.

The historical background of the story takes place in the last couple of months of the first world war and in the year that followed. The heroes are two French officers, one of them is the commander of a special unit which turns the fate of battles on the war fields with brutality and efficiency, but cannot find its place when the war ends. The soldiers are part of an unfortunate minority of the French army which remained conscripted in the area, which was undergoing political changes - empires fell down, new nations where raising and forming their national states, borders where moving and still fought, and revolutions were threatening the order sought by the victorious powers.

Unfortunately nothing of the changes around are reflected in any way by the film, which focuses on the fate of the French soldiers and officers and not only misses completely the events around but also presents the local people in an folklorist and non flattering manner. Neither does the film say anything new that was not already said in the great films about the absurdity of war in general or the cruelty of WWI in particular. The story is composed of several sequences not too well related, acting is good but cannot save the day, and seeing this film is overall an experience to forget for these who saw it and to avoid for these who did not see it.