Safe Conduct

Last updated
Safe Conduct
Safe Conduct film poster.jpg
film poster
French Laissez-passer
Directed by Bertrand Tavernier
Written byBertrand Tavernier
Jean Cosmos
Produced byFrédéric Bourboulon
Alain Sarde
Starring Jacques Gamblin
Denis Podalydès
CinematographyAlain Choquart
Edited bySophie Brunet
Music by Antoine Duhamel
Production
companies
Distributed by Bac Films
01 Distribuzione
Release date
9 January 2002 (2002-01-09)
Running time
170 minutes
CountryFrance
Language French
Budget$18.5 million [1]
Box office$1.7 million [2]

Safe Conduct (French : Laissez-passer) is a 2002 French historical drama film directed by Bertrand Tavernier and written by Tavernier and Jean Cosmos. It is based on the memories of the veteran French director Jean Devaivre, active in the film industry and the resistance during the Second World War.

Contents

Plot

The film concerns the French film industry from 1942 to 1944 during the Nazi occupation. The film focuses on assistant director and resistance fighter Jean Devaivre and screenwriter Jean Aurenche.

Devaivre works for the German production company Continental Films, where he is respected. However, he is involved in dangerous resistance activity. [3]

Aurenche keeps moving locations so that he does not have to write anything collaborationist. On the other hand, Aurenche's scriptwriting does not help how he lives and he is a womanizer which causes him to procrastinate. [4]

Cast

Production

The film is based on French director Jean-Devaivre's memoirs. [5] Bertrand Tavernier felt compelled to tell the story [6] because of his interest in reviving films from 1942 to 1944 and because he has friendships with key figures from those films. [7] Principle filming began November 6, 2000. [8]

Court case

The real life Devaivre sued director Tavernier because he wanted his name bigger than Aurenche's in the credits. Tavernier's opponents, including Cahiers du Cinéma and Le Monde , attacked him because they thought that he was attacking the French New Wave when he portrayed the characters of Aurenche and Bost in a positive light. Tavernier thought that it was crazy that they were attacking him and pointed out that he had worked with Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, Agnès Varda, and Jacques Demy and did not oppose any of their works. [9] French critics thought that the film supports passitivity and collaboration as well as appealing to the conservative elements of French film-making. [7]

In January 2002, a Paris court ruled that Tavernier was required to rewrite the screen credits to ensure full acknowledgement be given to Jean Devaivre, who in his lawsuit claimed Tavernier duped him for commercial reasons. Devaivre had accused Tavernier of twisting the truth, and demanded the film to be withdrawn from distribution after claiming that Tavernier "deceived, robbed and betrayed artistic creation and my friendship for commercial reasons". In return Tavernier implied that the quarrel was about money, rather than truth, commenting "The man whom he called 'my hero' had at first refused any payment, but his family later demanded both recompense and acknowledgement that the work was inspired by the autobiography". Judge Francis Delphin said that Laissez-passer could not go on the festival circuit without recognition of Devaivre's contribution. [10]

Reception

The film gained 75% on Rotten Tomatoes out of 36 reviews with the consensus "A highly detailed, exciting historical epic." [11]

Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review and 4 out of 4 stars. [12] Kent Turner of Film-Forward said that the acting is unfocused because the acting is understated and appears in many moments to be improvisational. [13] Jürgen Fauth, of About.com, said that Tavernier has woven a rich tapestry that never hits the dramatic high point, the life-and-death crisis that Hollywood has trained us to expect, but that the film still satisfies through its continually compelling surface, the kaleidoscopic scope of its attention, the large and small stories it tells. [14] Holly E. Ordway, of DVD Talk, said that the film will probably be enjoyed by devotees of French cinema who are well-versed in the history of the art, but that it's not worth watching for anyone else. [15]

Lisa Besselson of Variety felt that the film could have offered a greater insight into French film industry during a complex historical era. While noting that some of the best-handled content did not appear until 2 hours into the film, what was perceived as an unnecessary length detracted. She predicted the film "will reap the movie plenty of attention and elicit praise from French crix and essayists". [16]

In reviewing the top 10 films of 2002, David Parkinson of The Oxford Times wrote that with the Vichy France era still considered a taboo topic in that country, it was not surprising that Laissez-passer "would inflame passions". He further noted that by Tavernier including names of films and film-makers that would have little historical significance to scholars, the film was a missed opportunity that "only fleetingly captures the atmosphere of suspicion and repression that existed on the studio floor or the impact the resulting pictures made on the populace". [17]

Awards

Jacques Gamblin won the Silver Bear for Best Actor and Antoine Duhamel won Best Original Score at the Berlin International Film Festival both in 2001 and 2002. Emile Ghigo was nominated for Best Production Design and Antoine Duhamel was nominated for Best Original Score at the French Academy of Cinema. [18] Bertrand Tavernier won Best Director, Best Film, and Best Screenplay at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival. [19]

Film festivals

DVD release

The R1 DVD has a 2.35:1 picture and Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack in French and English. The special features include a theatrical trailer & a text only interview with the director. [7] The PAL R2 UK dvd includes a 48 min. director's interview. The two disc PAL R2 French release features a director's commentary, a making of doc, and 8 deleted scenes. Note that the French release is not English subtitled.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoine Duhamel</span> French composer (1925–2014)

Antoine Duhamel was a French composer, orchestra conductor and music teacher.

<i>Coup de Torchon</i> 1981 French film

Coup de Torchon is a 1981 French crime film directed by Bertrand Tavernier and adapted from Jim Thompson's 1964 novel Pop. 1280. The film changes the novel's setting from an American Southern town to a small town in French West Africa. The film had 2,199,309 admissions in France and was the 16th most attended film of the year. It received the Prix Méliès from the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics as the best French film of 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bertrand Tavernier</span> French film director (1941–2021)

Bertrand Tavernier was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer.

Quai des Orfèvres is a 1947 French police procedural drama film based on the book Légitime défense by Stanislas-Andre Steeman. Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot the film stars Suzy Delair as Jenny Lamour, Bernard Blier as Maurice Martineau, Louis Jouvet as Inspector Antoine and Simone Renant as Dora.

<i>A Sunday in the Country</i> 1984 film by Bertrand Tavernier

A Sunday in the Country is a 1984 French drama film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Bertrand Tavernier, based on Pierre Bost's 1945 novel Monsieur Ladmiral va bientôt mourir. The film stars Louis Ducreux, Michel Aumont, Sabine Azéma, Geneviève Mnich, and Monique Chaumette. It explores family dynamics in a clan on the eve of World War I.

<i>The Bait</i> (1995 film) 1995 French crime film

The Bait, also known as Fresh Bait, is a 1995 French film directed by Bertrand Tavernier about two boys and a girl who commit a murder, with the girl acting as the "bait".

Que la fête commence... is a 1975 French film directed by Bertrand Tavernier and starring Philippe Noiret. It is a historical drama set during the 18th century French Régence centring on the Breton Pontcallec Conspiracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Didier Bezace</span> French actor (1946–2020)

Didier Bezace was a French actor.

The 7th César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, honoured the best French films of 1981 and took place on 27 February 1982 at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. The ceremony was chaired by Orson Welles and hosted by Pierre Tchernia and Jacques Martin. Quest for Fire won the award for Best Film.

<i>In the Electric Mist</i> 2009 film

In the Electric Mist is a 2009 French/American mystery drama film directed by Bertrand Tavernier, and written by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Olson-Kromolowski based on the novel In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke; it stars Tommy Lee Jones in the lead role of Louisiana police detective Dave Robicheaux.

<i>My Man</i> (1996 film) 1996 film by Bertrand Blier

My Man is a 1996 French drama film written and directed by Bertrand Blier. It was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival where Anouk Grinberg won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruno Putzulu</span> French actor

Bruno Putzulu is a French actor, born in Toutainville, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Spaak</span> Screenwriter (1903–1975)

Charles Spaak was a Belgian screenwriter who was noted particularly for his work in the French cinema during the 1930s. He was the son of the dramatist and poet Paul Spaak, the brother of the politician Paul-Henri Spaak, and the father of the actresses Catherine Spaak and Agnès Spaak.

<i>Captain Conan</i> 1996 French film

Captain Conan is a 1996 French drama film directed by Bertrand Tavernier. It is based on the 1934 Prix Goncourt-winning novel Captain Conan by Roger Vercel.

Holy Lola is a 2004 French drama film that is directed by Bertrand Tavernier. Tavernier said that the film was very, very moving, very exciting to do, and it made him fall in love with Cambodia.

Jean Aurenche was a French screenwriter. During his career, he wrote 80 films for directors such as René Clément, Bertrand Tavernier, Marcel Carné, Jean Delannoy and Claude Autant-Lara. He is often associated with the screenwriter Pierre Bost, with whom he had a fertile partnership from 1940 to 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">52nd Berlin International Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 52nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 6 to 17, 2002. The festival opened with Heaven by Tom Tykwer. The New print of Charlie Chaplin's 1940 American satirical dramedy film The Great Dictator was the closing film of the festival. The Golden Bear was awarded to the British–Irish film Bloody Sunday directed by Paul Greengrass and the Japanese Animated film Spirited Away directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

Continental Films was a German-controlled French film production company. It stood as the sole authorized film production organization in Nazi-occupied France.

Maria Belooussova was a Russian pianist. She lived and worked in Paris.

Jean Devaivre (1912–2004) was a French film director and screenwriter. Additionally, he worked as a dubbing director, preparing foreign-language films for release in France. The film Safe Conduct directed by Bertrand Tavernier is based on Devaivre's activities in the French film industry during the wartime Occupation of France.

References

  1. "Laissez-passer (Safe Conduct) (2002) - JPBox-Office".
  2. "Safe Conduct".
  3. LaSalle, Mick (2003-03-21). "Safe Conduct". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
  4. Carroll, Bob. "Laissez-passer". Kamera.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  5. Null, Christopher (2004). "Safe Conduct". Film Critic. Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  6. Brussat, Frederic and Mary Ann. "Safe Conduct". Spirituality & Practice. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  7. 1 2 3 Megahey, Noel (2003-05-13). "Laissez-Passer". DVD Times. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  8. "News in brief". The Guardian . 13 October 2000. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  9. Macnab, Geoffrey (2002-10-23). "Film Don't mention the war". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  10. Webster, Paul (6 January 2002). "'Treacherous' Tavernier in war movie row". The Observer . Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  11. "Safe Conduct". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
  12. Ebert, Roger (9 May 2003). "Safe Conduct Movie Review". Sun Times. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
  13. Turner, Kent (16 May 2004). "Safe Conduct". Film-Forward. Retrieved 7 December 2009.
  14. Fauth, Jürgen. "Safe Conduct". About.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  15. E. Ordway, Holly (11 May 2004). "Safe Conduct (Laissez-passer)". DVD Talk. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  16. Besselson, Lisa (8 January 2002). "review: Laissez-Passer". Variety . Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  17. Parkinson, David (17 December 2009). "That Was the Decade That Was - Part One". The Oxford Times. Archived from the original on December 21, 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  18. "Safe Conduct Awards". Fandango. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  19. 1 2 "USA: Fort Lauderdale Film Festival". uniFrance. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  20. "40th New York Film Festival, 2002". Bright Lights Film Journal. Archived from the original on 2006-03-29. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  21. "City of Lights, City of Angels 2002". Plume-Noire. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  22. "The 52nd Berlin Film Festival". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  23. Goodridge, Mike (2002-03-20). "Laissez-Passer opens 6th LA French film festival". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2010-01-01.