Typically, I avoid World War II period films like the plague. I literally see the word Nazi or German occupation and usually find a reason not to see the movie. I have nothing against the pictures; the problem is that so many of these films are surrounded in clichés that it feels like an old hat with nothing new to offer. However, when I saw The Day and the Hour in my review pile, I was intrigued by the notion of it being in France with a female lead and something of a romance. Far different from the usual pow pow, war is heck, or a film that’s going to have buckets and buckets of tears and worrying about the human condition. Though from the looks of things, this one might have some waterworks too. Let’s take a look.
1944, the Germans have occupied France. We open the film to a newspaper clipping. The German police have proof that three crew members on an enemy plane that was recently shot down are hiding in the Rethel commune region. Their names are Allen Morley, Pat Riley, and Norman Thompson. Anyone who is helping them is subject to punishment up to and including death.
Therese Dutheil (played by Simone Signoret) is being searched by the police and questioned. Apparently all she did was visit the cemetery and buy food from a local farmer. After a few of the questions, the officials don’t particularly like her tone of voice, and she gets slapped in the face twice for her troubles. She is then sent on her way with a warning. Therese washes her hands and face outside. She then makes her way home.
Once she gets back to her family and friends, she is questioned by them about the interrogation. Therese brushes it off and says nothing happened. She follows it up by saying that she wants to leave to the train station to get back to Paris. It appears that Antoine (played by Michel Piccoli) is taking the goats to the slaughterhouse, and the officials never search his vehicle. So without further ado, Therese decides to hitch a ride with him.
As expected, the officials let them through without so much a word, and they continue towards their destination. The two reminisce about the good ol’ days and growing up together. Apparently the vehicle has some mechanical problems, and they have to stop at the side of the road to fix it. Well, no sooner than the vehicle stops we realize that Antoine has extra passengers that he didn’t tell Therese about. These passengers appear to be the ones that the newspaper clipping was talking about, the soldiers Germans were looking for.
Therese does not want to get involved with this at all. However, one pilot catches her eye, Captain Allen Morley (played by Stuart Whitman). The soldiers and Antoine push the vehicle to get running again so they can continue their journey. Meanwhile, Ms. Dutheil makes her way to a covered bus stop to wait. Eventually the convoy catches up with her, and she reluctantly agrees to continue traveling with them.
However, trouble starts brewing when Antoine pulls off the road and tells Therese that she needs to take care of the Americans because he’s been spotted. He says they will eventually catch up to him, and he can’t risk the safety of those in his care. But Therese never wanted to be involved from the start! What’s she going to do with this pilot and the other Americans? Can she get them to safety? Can she get herself to safety?
The rest of the film is basically a game of cat-and-mouse with Therese and Allen staying out of the reach from German and French officials as they try to get to safety. All the while, they are slowly building to a ill-fated romantic relationship between the two characters. To be perfectly honest, I don’t have much experience with Simone Signoret’s work, but I am deeply impressed by her performance here. I don’t get around to French films very often, but it’s easy to see why she is so revered in her roles. So much so I have already put Room at the Top (her 1958 Academy Award-winning performance) on my must-watch list. Stuart Whitman is quite good here as well, but Simone really steals the show.
The supporting characters here do a wonderful job, and this film is written and directed superbly. Reggie Nalder, who is featured on the cover, plays a dastardly German villain who shows up at key moments in the film and really is handled well in the writing of the character. This is not your typical World War II film, and while there is a little action, it’s the dramatic moments that you will remember most. They also do not take the easy road when it comes to the ending. Of course, I’m not going to spoil it, but let’s just say it makes sense given the surrounding events of the time period.
Video
The video is in its original 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. This film is in black and white, and I fear the source here does need some work, as the grain can be heavy at times. However, I will say that the majority of the restoration here actually looks pretty good, and despite the number of side characters in this film, there should not be too much trouble telling them apart. This is provided that you are actually paying attention to other things beside the performance of the two lead characters.
This was primarily filmed in Haute-Garonne and Paris, France (and some studio work as well). We get a lot of great shots of these locations, but they are done in a way that helps to capture the feeling of dread during the German occupation. The shots of the Austerlitz Railway Station and how they packed so many people into that train makes the subways of New York seem empty by comparison.
Audio
The audio for this one is DTS-HD 2.0, it’s a combination of English and French (and a tiny bit German). Subtitles are very interesting and appreciated, but there is a catch here. There are two subtitle tracks. #1 is English subtitles for both the English and the French audio (German gets nichts), #2 is English subtitles for only the French audio. The catch is that it is very easy to pick #2 without realizing it. Most players allow you to switch subtitles on the fly, however, but this is more of a warning, as most people will probably assume there is one subtitles track when there are two.
Getting into the actual audio track, this one is certainly serviceable. Dialog is no issue, and what sound effects there are seem to be represented pretty well. As described, it’s mostly a talk-driven film, and people are going to be focusing on the conversations most of the time anyway. Claude Bolling provides the score here, and it fits well with the time period and the tone of the film. There are no real issues here to report; it’s simply a matter of what you would expect.
Special Features
- Trailers: The Day and the Hour, Leon Morin, Priest, and Room at the Top
- Audio Commentary featuring Film Historian Samm Deighan – Samm talks about many things including “The Myth of the Resistance”. She seems to have an excellent understanding of the time period as well as how the French actually were during this time of the German occupation. I think I would have enjoyed a little bit less of the history lesson and more of the actual film and stars that were in it. She’s very knowledgeable, honestly, but it’s a bit dry for my taste.
Final Thoughts
I don’t own many French films as previously mentioned. To me, great French cinema includes films like Brotherhood of the Wolf and Luc Besson‘s Subway. But in reality, great French cinema started decades ago. The Day and the Hour is largely considered one of the lesser films by Rene Clement, who would direct such well known films such as Purple Noon or The Damned. However, the performance by Simone Signoret is nothing short of amazing and makes the whole film regardless of what you think of the story or any of the surrounding characters. Thankfully, the story and the other actors are excellent as well.
The disc has decent video and audio considering the source (we are talking about a sixty year old film here). The commentary, albeit a little dry, is very informative and will fill you in on many details about this time period as well as the film itself. Finally, this is a fine job by Kino on giving the attention to a film that a lot of companies would pass over. Very much recommended, especially if you like dialog-driven films. Enjoy.
