Le caporal épinglé (1962)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Jean Renoir

Writers:

Guy Lefranc (adaptation)
Jacques Perret (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

23 May 1962 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

An upper-class corporal from Paris is captured by the Germans when they invade France in 1940. Assisted...

Plot Keywords:

Corporal | Paris | WWII | Based On Novel

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	Le caporal / The Corporal
Claude Brasseur	...	'Papa' / 'Pop'
O.E. Hasse	...	Le voyageur ivre dans le train
Claude Rich	...	Ballochet
Jacques Jouanneau	...	Penche-à-gauche
Sacha Briquet	...	L'évadé grimé en vielle femme
Raymond Jourdan	...	Hippolyte Dupieu
Guy Bedos	...	Le prisonnier qui bégaye
Philippe Castelli	...	Le prisonnier électricien
Gérard Darrieu	...	L'homme qui louche / The cross-eyed man
Lucien Raimbourg	...	L'employé de la gare
François Darbon	...	Un paysan / The last man
Cornelia Froboess	...	Erika Schmidt (as Conny Froboess)
Elisabeth Marcus
Elisabeth Stiepl		(as Elisabeth Stiepel)
Helmut Janatsch
Mario David	...	Caruso
Jean Carmet	...	Guillaume
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Billy Kearns	...	Un garde / Guard (uncredited)

Directed by
Jean Renoir

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Guy Lefranc		adaptation
Jacques Perret		novel
Jean Renoir		adaptation and dialogue
Charles Spaak		uncredited

Produced by
Adry De Carbuccia	....	producer (as Adry de Carbuccia)
Roland Girard	....	producer
Georges Glass	....	delegate producer: Austria

Original Music by
Joseph Kosma

Cinematography by
Georges Leclerc

Film Editing by
Renée Lichtig

Production Design by
Wolf Witzemann

Makeup Department
Ladislaus Valicek	....	makeup artist (as Ladisl Valicek)

Production Management
René Gaston Vuattoux	....	production manager (as René G. Vuattoux)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jean Egon Kieffer	....	assistant director (as J.E. Kieffer)
Guy Lefranc	....	assistant director
Marc Maurette	....	assistant director
Paulo Rocha	....	trainee assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Eugène Herrly	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jacques Bissières	....	sound assistant (as Jacques Bissière)
Gaston Demède	....	sound assistant
Jacques Gérardot	....	sound assistant
Antoine Petitjean	....	sound engineer

Special Effects by
Eugène Herrly	....	special effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Stefan Börczök	....	still photographer (as Stefan Borcsök)
Gilbert Chain	....	camera operator
Robert Fraisse	....	assistant camera
Antoine Georgakis	....	assistant camera
Jean-Louis Picavet	....	chief camera operator
André Moindrot	....	lighting technician (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Madeleine Lecompere	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Serge Baudo	....	conductor

Other crew
J.W. Beyer	....	general manager
Charlotte Lefèvre	....	script girl (as Charlotte Lefèvre Vuattoux)
Yvonne Toumayeff	....	administrator

Production Companies

• Les Films du Cyclope
• Omnia Films

Distributors

• Pathé Consortium Cinéma (1962) (France) (theatrical)
• Union Film Distributors Inc. (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)

Also Known As:

The Elusive Corporal (USA)
The Vanishing Corporal (UK)

Runtime:

90 min | 105 min

Country:

France

Language:

German | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex)

Certification:

Finland:K-8

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Les Films du Cyclope

Use your great illusions

Jean Renoir was always spared by the Nouvelle Vague critics.And however,if you've seen all his great films of the thirties (roughly from "la Chienne" to "La Règle du Jeu" )you may possibly find his latter days works disappointing:"le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe" and his pitiful attempt at a "Dr Jekill and M.Hyde" "Le Testament du Docteur Cordelier" "Le Caporal epinglé " is a different matter for it has its moments and the cast (Rich,Cassel,Claude Brasseur) is so perfect I do not need to add to the praise they have already received.

When I was a child ,I remember what my mother said when she saw the movie when it was theatrically released ;she did not like it very much.Six or seven years later,when I had the opportunity to see it ,I told her I did not understand her and that I had liked it ."Some day you will find out" was the answer.

At the time,I did not know even Renoir's name.Now that I've seen most of his movies,I do not take the same view as I did:I do not think,as it has often been mooted that it's a remake of "la grande illusion" although there are similarities between the two works.But Autant-Lara's "La traversée de Paris" or Henri Verneuil's "La Vache et le Prisonnier" (aka "the cow and I") which were pejoratively labeled "Cinema de Qualité" by the Young Turks were not inferior to "le Caporal Epinglé".Renoir's humor is sometimes vulgar and you'd better take "Stalag 17" instead.In the twenties his "Tire au Flanc" displays the same questionable coarse comedy side.

"La Grande Illusion" is one of the greatest films of the FRench cinema.Although it takes place during WW1,we never feel how atrocious that war was.

"Le Caporal Epinglé" takes place in a prison camp.And except for a few moments (Claude Rich's escape for instance) ,the soldiers seem to live in a holiday camp.

"LE Caporal Epinglé " is an entertaining movie though and the best scenes ,IMHO,are to be found outside the camp: Cassel on the dentist's chair is worth the price of admission.And the scene on the train with the naughty brat ("Be quiet or the gentleman will take you to war") is hilarious.