Summary
August 1944. A small German army unit has managed to reclaim the French provincial
town of Nanteuil shortly after its liberation, but a few locals resist, taking pot-shots
at the soldiers from the sanctuary of a bell tower. Tired and leaderless, the German
soldiers decide to admit defeat. They send a hostage to take a message to a nearby
French village to arrange a surrender. The French villagers return to their town,
celebrating a wedding on the way. Meanwhile, a German officer has arrived in the
town and informs his soldiers that they must not give in...
Review
Les Honneurs de la guerre is a simple, little known film, made on a modest budget,
but, it must surely rate as one of the most powerful and memorable anti-war films ever
made. The sheer mad absurdity of war and the ease with which humankind can, through
a combination of fear, distrust and desire for revenge, succumb to the evil impulse for
blood lust are illustrated with heart-breaking effect.
The film begins with a ghostly shot of an apparently deserted French town, panning down
empty blanched streets strewn with banners. The only inhabitants of the town are
the remnants of a German army, young soldiers, most barely into their 20s, many wounded,
hungry and humiliated. All they can do is wait for the Americans to re-appear and
capture them. In the mean time they nurse their wounds and half-heartedly fend off
a few redoubtable snipers. A few kilometres away, French villagers are
celebrating a marriage, enjoying the late summer sunshine, dancing, eating and singing.
Life has never seemed so beautiful now that the horror of war is over. Or so they
think. The last thing that either side, the French villagers or the German soldiers,
wants is to resume hostilities. Yet a mutual fear and distrust draws them inexorably
towards that terrible outcome. War is never so horrible and absurd when it is placed
alongside the alternative, a delicious yet clearly ephemeral peace.
One of the reasons why this film is so effective is that it avoids taking sides and presents
both the Germans and the French (who are destined to end up slaughtering each other) with
equal compassion and humanity. This is a film which is neither antagonistic
nor didactic in its approach. Without drama or spectacle, it merely reminds us of
the supreme tragedy of what is undoubtedly the worst of human follies.
The film closely resembles a documentary in that the dialogue and the action appears totally
unscripted, spontaneous and natural, a typical characteristic of the French New Wave film
makers. Needless-to-say, the film was highly regarded by Dewever’s contemporaries,
such as François Truffaut and film critics generally, although it was far from
being a commercial success.
What is most remarkable about this Les Honneurs de la guerre, and what distinguishes
it from other war films, is how fresh and relevant it still appears. Half a century
on at it still offers a potent and shocking reminder of mankind's susceptibility to self-destruction.
© James Travers 2002
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