La guerre est finie (1966)

Director:

Alain Resnais

Writer:

Jorge Semprún (writer)

Release Date:

11 May 1966 (France)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

Diego is one of the chief of the spanish Communist Party. He is travelling back to Paris (where he lives) from a mission in Madrid...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Spanish | Passport | Communist | Comrade

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins

Cast

Yves Montand	...	Diego Mora
Ingrid Thulin	...	Marianne
Geneviève Bujold	...	Nadine Sallanches
Jean Dasté	...	Le chef du réseau clandestin / Chief
Dominique Rozan	...	Jude
Jean-François Rémi	...	Juan
Marie Mergey	...	Madame Lopez
Jacques Wallet	...	Un CRS / CRS Policeman
Michel Piccoli	...	L'inspecteur des douanes / First Customs Inspector
Anouk Ferjac	...	Marie Jude
Roland Monod	...	Antoine
Pierre Decazes	...	L'employé SNCF / Station Employee
Paul Crauchet	...	Roberto
Claire Duhamel	...	La femme du wagon-restaurant / Traveller
Antoine Bourseiller	...	L'homme du wagon-restaurant / Traveller
Laurence Badie	...	Bernadette Pluvier
Françoise Bertin	...	Carmen
Yvette Etiévant	...	Yvette, la femme de Ramon
Jean Bouise	...	Ramon
Annie Fargue	...	Agnès
Gérard Séty	...	Bill
Catherine de Seynes	...	Janine
Jacques Rispal	...	Manolo
Fylgia Zadig	...	L'hôtesse de la réunion clandestine / Wife of member of the revolutionary group
Pierre Leproux	...	Le fabricant de faux papiers / Man with White Coat
Roger Pelletier	...	Un inspecteur / Second Inspector
René-Jean Chauffard	...	Le clochard / Tramp (as R.J. Chauffar)
Josep Maria Flotats	...	Miguel (as José-Maria Flotats)
Sissi Kaiser	...	Une militante espagnole / Lola, Marianne's housemaid
Jean Bolo	...	Un agent de police / Policeman
Pierre Barbaud	...	Un client du café
Gérard Lartigau	...	Le chef du groupe d'action révolutionnaire / Leader of the Revolutionary Group
Jean Laroquette	...	Un membre du groupe / Member of the Revolutionary Group
Martine Vatel	...	Une étudiante membre du groupe
Laure Paillette	...	La vieille dame dans l'escalier (as Paillette)
Jacques Robnard	...	Pierrot
Marcel Cuvelier	...	Un inspecteur / Fourth Inspector
Bernard Fresson	...	André Sarlat
Antoine Vitez	...	Un employé Pan-am / Pan-Am Employee
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lyne Chardonnet	...	(uncredited)
Jorge Semprún	...	Récitant / Narrator (uncredited)

Directed by
Alain Resnais

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jorge Semprún		writer

Produced by
Anatole Dauman	....	producer
Gisèle Rebillon	....	producer
Catherine Winter	....	producer

Original Music by
Giovanni Fusco

Cinematography by
Sacha Vierny

Film Editing by
Eric Pluet
Ziva Postec

Production Design by
Jacques Saulnier

Costume Design by
Madeleine Lafon
Marie Martine

Makeup Department
Alexandre Marcus	....	makeup artist
Elaine Marcus	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Alain Quefféléan	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jacques Leon	....	assistant director
Florence Malraux	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jean-Jacques Caziot	....	assistant set designer
Louis Charpeaux	....	props
Charles Merangel	....	set designer

Sound Department
Antoine Bonfanti	....	sound
Robert Cambourakis	....	assistant sound
Urbain Loiseau	....	assistant sound
Jean Nény	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Alliel	....	assistant camera
Philippe Brun	....	camera operator
Yves Laurent	....	chief electrician
Pierre Li	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Hadassa Misrahi	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Blanche Cochet	....	production secretary
Odette Hainsselin	....	accountant
Georges Houssage	....	exterior production
Louis Lliberia	....	production department
Jean Pieuchot	....	production department

Production Companies

• Europa Film
• Sofracima

Distributors

• Cocinor (1966) (France) (theatrical)
• Neue Filmkunst Walter Kirchner (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Brandon Films (1967) (USA) (subtitled)
• KinoVista (2007) (Russia) (TV)
• Ripley's Home Video (2007) (Italy) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Kriget är slut (Sweden)
The War Is Over (USA)

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

France | Sweden

Language:

French | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:VM14 (re-rated) (1977) | Italy:VM18 (cut) | UK:15 (1994) | UK:X (1966) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11

Company:

Europa Film

A man's gotta do...

Alain Resnais was almost a god of cinema in the 60's. That people actually discussed the meaning of Last Year at Marienbad at parties seems unbelievable today (yet check the posts for Mulholland Drive), but it was a cultural object just as real as a Picasso painting. If I say that La Guerre est finie has aged badly, that's not to say that it didn't hold the attention of liberals 40 years ago.

The politics of the main (male) characters are fossilized. The old Bolshevik ideals have become more and more detached from reality. Diego knows that there will be no general strike in Spain on May 1st, no matter how hard they will it to happen. Pamphlets smuggled by car into the country in false compartments are not being translated into actions. Diego's lack of authenticity is his real problem: he's spent most of his life in France, speaks better French than Spanish, and is watching people 20 years younger than himself taking more radical steps to end Franco's rule.

Marianne has a greater grasp of reality than her lover. After nine years with Diego, she just wants to settle down and have kids, and put an end to the endless coded conversations with her friends (who are ignorant of Diego's revolutionary activities). She watches as Diego gets sloppy--driving with lights out while there's a suitcase full of plastic explosives in the car, as a cop stops them for questioning.

Semprun's script makes Montand into a sexual magnet; has any 20-year-old girl taken off her clothes faster for a tired 45-year-old man? The star system dictates that the male lead be a stud, but there are limits.