1940: Taking over French Cinema (2019)
Paris, 1940. German occupation forces create a new film production company, Continental, and put Alfred Greven – producer, cinephile, and opportunistic businessman – in charge. During the occupation, under Joseph Goebbels’s orders, Greven hires the best artists and technicians of French cinema to produce successful, highly entertaining films, which are also strategically devoid of propaganda. Simultaneously, he takes advantage of the confiscation of Jewish property to purchase film theaters, studios and laboratories, in order to control the whole production line. His goal: to create a European Hollywood. Among the thirty feature films thus produced under the auspices of Continental, several are, to this day, considered classics of French cinema.
Cast
- Sarah-Jane Sauvegrain - Self (voice)
- Louis-Émile Galey - Self (archive footage)
- Claude Heymann - Self (archive footage)
- Jean Dréville - Self (archive footage)
- Marcel Carné - Self (archive footage)
- Raoul Ploquin - Self (voice) (archive footage)
- Henri Calef - Self (archive footage)
- Jean-Paul Le Chanois - Self (archive footage)
- Michel Duran - Self (archive footage)
- Henri-Georges Clouzot - Self (archive footage)
Screenplay
Keywords
france, based on novel or book, world war ii, german occupation, antisemitism, 1940s, occupied france (1940-44), film industry, documentary, historical documentary
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is 1940: Taking over French Cinema about?
- Paris, 1940. German occupation forces create a new film production company, Continental, and put Alfred Greven – producer, cinephile, and opportunistic businessman – in charge. During the occupation, under Joseph Goebbels’s orders, Greven hires the best artists and technicians of French cinema to produce successful, highly entertaining films, which are also strategically devoid of propaganda. Simultaneously, he takes advantage of the confiscation of Jewish property to purchase film theaters, studios and laboratories, in order to control the whole production line. His goal: to create a European Hollywood. Among the thirty feature films thus produced under the auspices of Continental, several are, to this day, considered classics of French cinema.
- Who directed 1940: Taking over French Cinema?
- 1940: Taking over French Cinema was directed by Pierre-Henri Gibert.
- Who stars in 1940: Taking over French Cinema?
- 1940: Taking over French Cinema stars Sarah-Jane Sauvegrain, Louis-Émile Galey, Claude Heymann, Jean Dréville, Marcel Carné, Raoul Ploquin.
- How long is 1940: Taking over French Cinema?
- 1940: Taking over French Cinema has a runtime of 55m (55 minutes).
- What genre is 1940: Taking over French Cinema?
- 1940: Taking over French Cinema is a Documentary, History, TV Movie film.
- Where was 1940: Taking over French Cinema produced?
- 1940: Taking over French Cinema was produced in France.