The Cross of Lorraine
At the start of World War II, Frenchmen from all walks of life enlist or are drafted. Defeated by the invading Germans in 1940, Marshal Philippe Pétain signs a peace agreement and the troops surrender…
The Cross of Lorraine
At the start of World War II, Frenchmen from all walks of life enlist or are drafted. Defeated by the invading Germans in 1940, Marshal Philippe Pétain signs a peace agreement and the troops surrender. However, instead of being repatriated to their homes, a group of soldiers are transported to a brutal prison camp. The men receive solace from Father Sebastian (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), a priest who was also in the army and who counsels them wisely, but he is eventually killed. Most of the men resist as best they can. Duval (Hume Cronyn), collaborates with their jailers to get an easier life, and tries to recruit Paul (Jean-Pierre Aumont). One night, the prisoners shove Duval into the yard and trigger the alarm. The guards shoot him by mistake. In response, the Commandant has every fourth prisoner executed. He has Paul watch it in his office, and explains the Nazi plan for indoctrinating the next generations. He shows him Victor (Gene Kelly), in his cell, and observes, "There is no man we cannot break." Victor has indeed been broken by the vicious treatment he has received in solitary. Paul takes Duval's old job with an eye to aiding his fellow prisoners. Part of his work entails helping Sergeant Berger (Peter Lorre) smuggle perfume, silk garments and other luxuries for Lieutenant Schmidt (Richard Ryen) from the hospital over the border into Occupied France. The goods are hidden under a soldier pretending to be an actual patient. Eventually Paul helps the 15 men in his barracks to escape, hidden among 150 Alsatians who are being repatriated. Camp roll call will soon reveal the deception. The doctor chooses to stay behind, refusing to abandon his patients. Victor is incapacitated by fear, and Paul won't leave without him. He feels guilty because Victor and the others like him had wanted to fight, and he had not seen that they were right. The doctor therefore sedates Victor, and they put him in the soldier's place. Paul asks the doctor for a scalpel, a weapon. "It's hard to believe you're the same Paul." "I'm not." The doctor warns him he cannot expect any help on the outside. He does not. The truck passes the border checkpoint, but they are soon pursued by a n SS sidecar motorcycle. Paul kills Sergeant Berger, shoots the SS guards and helps a despairing Victor across country for several days. They witness a boy (Bobby Dillon) shooting a German motorcyclist. He demands: "What cross do you bear?" When they don't reply "The Cross of Lorraine," he prepares to shoot them. Then Victor collapses, revealing the lashes on his chest. The boy tells them the Americans have landed in North Africa and takes them to safety in René's (Jack Edwards) home in Cardignan, where they meet other friends and plan to join General Cartier's army in the mountains. Paul promises to get the still-frightened Victor to North Africa. The Nazis arrive and gather all villagers in the street. They try to conscript 50 men from the village (population 374) for labor camps in Germany. Paul stands up and translates to the assembled people that the promises of good treatment are lies and is shot in the arm. Victor, outraged, kills the senior officer, and the village explodes. The gathered crowd overwhelms the Germans who flee. Knowing they will return, René's mother leads the call to burn Cardignan to the ground to keep it out of German hands, and they head en masse into the mountains to join General Cartier. The film ends with the villagers all marching into the hills to join the French Resistance with the final bars of La Marseillaise and the French flag bearing the Cross of Lorraine, Joan of Arc's emblem and now the emblem of the 'fighting French.'
The Cross of Lorraine
Drama,War
Film Details
At the start of World War II, Frenchmen from all walks of life enlist or are drafted. Defeated by the invading Germans in 1940, Marshal Philippe Pétain signs a peace agreement and the troops surrender. However, instead of being repatriated to their homes, a group of soldiers are transported to a brutal prison camp.
The men receive solace from Father Sebastian (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), a priest who was also in the army and who counsels them wisely, but he is eventually killed. Most of the men resist as best they can. Duval (Hume Cronyn), collaborates with their jailers to get an easier life, and tries to recruit Paul (Jean-Pierre Aumont).
One night, the prisoners shove Duval into the yard and trigger the alarm. The guards shoot him by mistake. In response, the Commandant has every fourth prisoner executed.
He has Paul watch it in his office, and explains the Nazi plan for indoctrinating the next generations. He shows him Victor (Gene Kelly), in his cell, and observes, "There is no man we cannot break." Victor has indeed been broken by the vicious treatment he has received in solitary. Paul takes Duval's old job with an eye to aiding his fellow prisoners.
Part of his work entails helping Sergeant Berger (Peter Lorre) smuggle perfume, silk garments and other luxuries for Lieutenant Schmidt (Richard Ryen) from the hospital over the border into Occupied France. The goods are hidden under a soldier pretending to be an actual patient. Eventually Paul helps the 15 men in his barracks to escape, hidden among 150 Alsatians who are being repatriated.
Camp roll call will soon reveal the deception. The doctor chooses to stay behind, refusing to abandon his patients. Victor is incapacitated by fear, and Paul won't leave without him.
He feels guilty because Victor and the others like him had wanted to fight, and he had not seen that they were right. The doctor therefore sedates Victor, and they put him in the soldier's place. Paul asks the doctor for a scalpel, a weapon.
"It's hard to believe you're the same Paul." "I'm not." The doctor warns him he cannot expect any help on the outside. He does not. The truck passes the border checkpoint, but they are soon pursued by a n SS sidecar motorcycle.
Paul kills Sergeant Berger, shoots the SS guards and helps a despairing Victor across country for several days. They witness a boy (Bobby Dillon) shooting a German motorcyclist. He demands: "What cross do you bear?" When they don't reply "The Cross of Lorraine," he prepares to shoot them.
Then Victor collapses, revealing the lashes on his chest. The boy tells them the Americans have landed in North Africa and takes them to safety in René's (Jack Edwards) home in Cardignan, where they meet other friends and plan to join General Cartier's army in the mountains. Paul promises to get the still-frightened Victor to North Africa.
The Nazis arrive and gather all villagers in the street. They try to conscript 50 men from the village (population 374) for labor camps in Germany. Paul stands up and translates to the assembled people that the promises of good treatment are lies and is shot in the arm.
Victor, outraged, kills the senior officer, and the village explodes. The gathered crowd overwhelms the Germans who flee. Knowing they will return, René's mother leads the call to burn Cardignan to the ground to keep it out of German hands, and they head en masse into the mountains to join General Cartier.
The film ends with the villagers all marching into the hills to join the French Resistance with the final bars of La Marseillaise and the French flag bearing the Cross of Lorraine, Joan of Arc's emblem and now the emblem of the 'fighting French.'.