'The sweetness of life in an occupied country:' François Truffaut’s "Le Dernier Metro" (1980)
Originally, I sought to explore the continuities and changes in the filmic representation of the German occupation in France. I assumed to find a fascinating array of French and German productions, which not only reflect but also help to produce collective memory of both countries. I also believed that little research would unearth more popular German movies than Thomas Tielsch’s semi-documentary Die Finsternis (2005), which portrays the last days of the Vichy regime and is partially based on a novel by Louis-Ferdinand Celine. To my surprise, I could not find further examples of German productions, and I had to contend myself with French movies representing the German occupation. Suffice it to say there are many French movies dealing with delicate period in French history. But instead of trying to condense multiple plot lines into one coherent argument, I would like to focus on one of the most popular period dramas, François Truffaut’s The Last Metro ...
