The Eclipse Viewer – Episode 26 – Jean Grémillon During the Occupation

David and Trevor conclude their series of World War II era films with a conversation about a French director whose films have fallen into undeserved obscurity.

This podcast focuses on Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs. Hosts David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett give an overview of each box and offer their perspectives on the unique treasures they find inside. In this episode, David and Trevor discuss Eclipse Series 34: Jean Grémillon During the Occupation.

About the films:

Though little known outside of France, Jean Grémillon was a consummate filmmaker from his country’s golden age. A classical violinist who turned to directing, he went on to make almost fifty films—from documentaries to avant-garde works to melodramas with major stars—in a thirty-year career. Three of his richest came during a dire period in French history: Remorques, starring Jean Gabin, was begun in 1939 but finished and released after Germany invaded France, and Lumière d’été and Le ciel est à vous were produced during the occupation. These character-driven dramas, the first two cowritten by legendary screenwriter Jacques Prévert, are humane, entertaining, and technically brilliant, and prove Grémillon to be one of cinema’s true hidden masters.

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Timeline for the podcast:

Introduction/Background (00:00:01 – 00:24:15)

Remorques (00:24:16 – 00:47:31)

Lumière d’été (00:47:32 – 01:18:00)

Le ciel est à vous (01:18:01 – 01:39:15)

Conclusion (01:39:16 – 01:45:00)

Buy The Box Set On Amazon:

EPISODE LINKS

Director Overview:

French Film Site biography by James Travers
Film Museum biography
Jean Grémillon: Realism and Tragedy by Ted Fendt
Singular and Plural: The Films of Jean Grémillon by Imogen Sara Smith
Harvard Film Archive retrospective
Museum of the Moving Image retrospective

Box Set Reviews:

Criterion Cast review by David Blakeslee
Keyframe review by David Hudson
New York Times review by Dave Kehr
Slant review by Joseph Jon Lanthier

Remorques:

World Cinema Review review by Douglas Messerli
French Film Site review by James Travers

Lumière d’été:

Flickering Myth review by Simon Columb
World Cinema Review review by Douglas Messerli
French Film Site review by James Travers
Wonders in the Dark review by Alan Fish

Le ciel est à vous:

Bravery in Hiding by Jonathan Rosenbaum (also includes Lumière d’été)
Wonders in the Dark review by Alan Fish
French Film Site review by James Travers

Contact us:

Twitter
Email: theeclipseviewer (at) gmail.com
David Blakeslee ( Twitter / Website )
Trevor Berrett ( Twitter / Website )

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