93, rue Lauriston, in the 16th arrondissement de Paris, is an address of bleak memory. It was indeed the headquarter of the French Gestapo, which was active between 1941 and 1944 and was headed by Henri Lafont and Pierre Loutrel, two wanted criminals. On the day of 1940 he was demobilized, little did well-meaning Léon Jabinet know that he would be associated with such disreputable characters. And yet, some time later, Odile Panzer, the Jewish girl he has been hiding at his parents'place, is arrested by the Gestapo. On this occasion Léon is offered a deal for her release: collaborating with the Carlingue (another name for the French auxiliaries of the Nazi police) and Odile will be free. Or else... What should he do?
Reviews
Although I find mixing reality and fiction a very dangerous way of making movies, I would say this particular evocation of the French Gestapo was well done enough to be more than worth the viewing.Excellent acting, handcrafted dialogs and efficient scenario allowed to draw a surprisingly deep and subtle picture of the bleak years of German occupation.I especially liked the intentional absence of moral judgment or righteous bias. All the interpretation is left to the viewer, but the "facts" speak for themselves. The mechanisms that turn delinquents into collaborators and then into real monsters are well laid out for the audience to understand.A refreshing change after all these caricaturing productions about dark spots in France's past.
