Lumière d'été
1943 Drama / Romance   

 

Review
Whilst not necessarily the best film of its time, Lumière d’été   is certainly one of the most important films made in France during World War II.  It allowed its director, Jean Grémillion, to get away with his most vehement assault on the Haute-Bourgeoisie (as Jean Renoir had attempted to do with his 1939 film La Règle du jeu ), whilst extolling the nobility of the ordinary hard-working man in the street.

The film also makes a veiled attack on the Vichy régime, which explains both why the film was banned by the authorities and why it proved to be so popular with the French people.  Beautifully filmed and scripted, the film is surely one of Grémillon’s most memorable films.

© James Travers 2002

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  Director: Jean Grémillon
Starring: Madeleine Renaud, Pierre Brasseur, Madeleine Robinson, Paul Bernard, Georges Marchal

Synopsis
At a mountain resort in Haute-Provence, a naive young woman Michèle soon comes tired of the decadence and low moral standards of her fiancé, a drunken artist Roland, and his entourage.   She is drawn to a young engineer, Julien, whose diligence and ideals appear to offer her a far better life...

Credits
  • Director: Jean Grémillon
  • Script: Pierre Laroche, Jacques Prévert
  • Photo: Louis Page
  • Music: Roland Manuel
  • Cast: Madeleine Renaud (Cricri), Pierre Brasseur (Roland), Madeleine Robinson (Michèle), Paul Bernard (Patrice), Georges Marchal (Julien), Léonce Corne (Tonton), Charles Blavette (Vincent), Jane Marken (Louise Martinet), Henri Pons (Amédée), Gérard Lecomte (Dany), Marcel Lévesque (Monsieur Louis), Raymond Aimos (Ernest)
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Runtime: 112 min; B&W



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