Monday, October 25, 2010

Inside Vichy France 1

Vichyn Ranska 1. A programme of propaganda films from AFF/CNC curated by Eric Le Roy. Eric Le Roy translated by Kaisa Kukkola, e-subtitles in Finnish to the films by Lena Talvio. Cinema Orion, Helsinki, 25 Oct 2010.

Eric Le Roy told that the Vichy propaganda films were French films produced by French companies but with German money. In the North the German occupation administration produced violent propaganda. In Vichy the films were not violent, and they emphasized tradition, nature, the earth, culture, youth, and sport. In the North, the propaganda was made by amateurs, in Vichy, by professionals. In the cinema, half-lights were on as the films were screened to avoid protests.

I saw the first film:
Images et paroles du Maréchal Pétain. FR 1940. 18 min. A propaganda film in praise of Pétain turns in modern eyes into a subtle parody. It is interesting to see Pétain trembling as his biography is being planned.

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