French TV series confronts reality of wartime collaboration - Telegraph A French television series which opens this week claims to be the first to confront the reality of the country's wartime past with an honest look at Second World War collaboration and resistance. Critics say the ambitious miniseries offers an unusually honest account of the moral ambiguities confronting ordinary people living under German occupation. "From the start our intention was to bring out those 95 per cent of the French people who were neither Resistance fighters nor collaborators," said Emmanuel Daucé, the producer.
I wish I could, I haven't seen it yet , How come I'm only learning about local news after eveybody else? As soon as I see it, will certainly give you a review. This being said I heard about it when it wasn't done yet. It is a microcosm of people having to make a choice under certain circumstances. Would they pick one side, rather than another, or do nothing? It is interesting from a moral aspect, as you often hear "I would do this" with a 2009 mentality, but what would people have done in similar circumstances back then? I like the mirror aspect, so I will certainly tell you more in the future about it.
Hello Just registered to tell you about this show, the first two series of which I've watched. It's (in my opinion) a superb, frank account of life in a French village during the Nazi occupation. The characters are sympathetic and I believe the makers have managed to achieve a very fine balance with what is, of course, a very sensitive subject. I found myself understanding the various points of view about the Occupation better than I had before - the French people really thought the occupation would be over quickly, so many at the time took the view that instead of rocking the boat and causing people to be executed, it was better to ride out the storm, keep quiet, behave and wait for the Gemans to leave. As time goes on, however, the characters in Un Village Français find this harder to keep up. Most normal French people were neither collaborators nor resistors, yet as the occupation dragged on most were forced to choose one of those camps, and this is depicted very well. Loyalties between families, colleagues and friends are constantly tested, sometimes to breaking point, as some support each other and some act in their own self-interest. The German characters are realistic, not caricatures, and are sometimes even shown as normal men serving their country in what they thought was the right way - yet their brutality is not shied away from either. The series manages to be completely honest about this sensitive period in France's history, as well as very gripping. I don't know if there are plans to release this in English-speaking countries, but I really hope there are as I think it's a great achievement. Series 3 is rumoured to be filming already.
