The French-Italian war comedy "Le Mur de l'Atlantique" premiered on 14 October 1970. It was directed and written by Marcel Camus, with dialogue by Marcel Jullian. The screenplay is based on the memoirs of Colonel Rémy, a well-known French Resistance fighter and secret agent in occupied France during the Second World War. The music was composed by Claude Bolling.
The leading roles were played by Bourvil as Léon Duchemin, Peter McEnery as Jeff, Jean Poiret as Armand, Sophie Desmarets as Maria Duchemin, Reinhardt Kolldehoff as Lt. Heinrich Jakobus Steinbichler, also known as Totor, and Sara Franchetti as Juliette Duchemin.
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| "Le Mur de l'Atlantique" poster |
Synopsis
Early 1944. Léon Duchemin (Bourvil) is a respectable restaurant owner who runs a small establishment in a Normandy village together with his sister Maria (Sophie Desmarets). Among his customers are members of the German occupying forces, French resistance fighters, and black marketeers. His peaceful life is disrupted at the studio of the painter Charlus (Yvon Lec), whom he had asked to repaint the restaurant's façade. While visiting the studio, Léon is mistaken by the Germans for the painter, as he happens to be holding samples and rolls of material. They take him to their local headquarters, where he is ordered to carry out renovation work. By accident, a top-secret document ends up hidden among Léon’s sample rolls. Meanwhile, Jeff (Peter McEnery), a British Royal Air Force pilot who has been shot down, crashes through the roof of Léon’s house. He is hidden and cared for by Léon’s daughter, Juliette (Sara Franchetti)…
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| Bourvil as Léon Duchemin |
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| Bourvil as Léon Duchemin and Reinhardt Kolldehoff as Lt. Heinrich Jakobus Steinbichler |
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| Sophie Desmarets as Maria Duchemin and Bourvil as Léon Duchemin |
Main cast
- Bourvil as Léon Duchemin
- Peter McEnery as Jeff
- Sophie Desmarets as Maria Duchemin
- Jean Poiret as Armand
- Reinhardt Kolldehoff as Lt. Heinrich Jakobus Steinbichler aka Totor
- Sara Franchetti as Juliette Duchemin
- Pino Caruso as Lt. Friedrich
- Terry-Thomas as Comm. Perry
- Jean-Pierre Zola as Colonel Muller
- Georges Staquet as Hippolyte
- Jacques Préboist as Ernest
- Johannes Eppler as Erwin Rommel
- Annabel Leventon as Sybil
- Jackie Sardou as Angèle Charlus
- William Mervyn as Jeff's Father
- Jess Hahn as British Colonel
- Patrick Préjean as British Officer
- Michel Robin as The Shoemaker
- Jacques Balutin as Gendarme
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| Sara Franchetti as Juliette Duchemin and Peter McEnery as Jeff |
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| Peter McEnery as Jeff and Jean Poiret as Armand |
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| Terry-Thomas as Comm. Perry |
Trivia
- It was Bourvil's final film; he passed away at the age of 53, three weeks before its release on 23 September 1970.
- The film was the second most popular in France in 1970, after "Le Gendarme en balade", starring Louis de Funès and Michel Galabru.
- Johannes Eppler, who played Field Marshal Rommel, had actually served under the real Erwin Rommel as his aide-de-camp during the Second World War.
Trailer
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