Continental-films

See also: Continental

The Continental-Films , known as Continental is a cinematographic production company financed by German capital. Created by Joseph Goebbels and directed by Alfred Greven during the Occupation, it produces several feature films, of which some like the Hand of the devil and the Corbel became traditional French, before disappearing with the Libération.

Initial intentions

The Continental-Films is, following the example Tobis, a cinematographic production company “ of French right to German capital ” created in September 1940 by Joseph Goebbels, large director and Ministre for Propaganda of the Nazi party then to the capacity in Germany since 1933. For Goebbels, the object of this company is before any policy, in order to keep the hand put on the film production of the occupied countries:
Our policy as regards cinema must be identical to that of the United States towards North America and the South. We must become the cinematographic capacity on the Continent of Europe. Insofar as films are produced in other countries they will have to keep a purely local character. The purpose of we are to prevent, as much as possible, the creation of any national industry of the Cinema.
. The Continental one has appropriations without common measurement with those of the other studios of the time of the Collaboration which facilitates the use of a film of excellent quality (new and not coming from recovery), of materials necessary to the Décor S and costumes which was practically impossible to find elsewhere. This relative ease does not prevent therefore a growing saving in means, with the liking of rationings, the cuts of electricity, the Bombardement S and the bringing together of the allied unloading.

The ambiguous Alfred Greven

Goebbels names with the head of the Continental Alfred Greven, former serviceman, francophile convinced which had followed studies in France and unconditional admiror of the culture and French Cinéma. But the ambition of Greven is certainly to compete with the American cinema, but also from the artistic point of view and to produce above all good films French, from the point of view of the engineering team, the actors or even of the subjects, free to free itself from the directives of Goebbels. Thus, Continental-Films will produce in 1943 With the Happiness of the Ladies of André Cayatte according to the Romance of Emile Zola, author put at the index by the Nazis. According to Bertrand Tavernier, certain films produced by the Continental one could never have been born if they had been subjected to the Censure of Vichy.

Goebbels did not appreciate freedoms that Greven with its directives agreed. Following the projection of the fantastic Symphony of Christian-Jaque, it writes in its newspaper:

I am furious that our offices of Paris show the French how to represent nationalism in their films. I gave very clear directives so that the French produce only films light, empty, and so possible stupid. I think that they will be satisfied some. It is not need to develop their nationalism

Many resistant integrates the Continental one, like the Assistant realizer Jean-Devaivre, thinking of being more protected with the center even of the organization against which they fought.

Jews with the Continental one

To arrive at its ends, Greven tries to gather the best French elements. Meeting Jacques Prévert with Cannes, it tries to persuade this one to integrate the Continental one, and a full artistic freedom guarantees to him. Prévert refuses, and thus comments on its intentions: He not. Moreover, you already lost! Because you do not have a Jew with you. See Hollywood: One does not make a cinema without them!

Greven is put then in the search of Jewish scenario writers, and requires of Jean Aurenche of him to present some. It ends up engaging Henri Calef and Jean-Paul Chanois, Jew, Communist and resistant. Greven was not easily deceived of this situation and goes even until tolerating it with an aim of being able to use rare talents not costing anything almost and, so inevitably appreciated (under condition express of not seeing their patronyms appearing in the credits or of finding figureheads to them). According to reported remarks by the odd producer Roger Richebé, Greven would have declared, taking up the idea of Prévert: “for the cinema, the Jews are strongest I have a Jew at home, but it does not know that I know it…”

Films

If its catalog reaches with difficulty the figure of thirty achievements at the end of the Second world war, it does not remain about it less one fish pond of young talented authors who saw themselves propelling earlier than envisaged in the foreground. Admittedly, so of the places had become “free” because of the prohibition made to the professionals Juif S, actors and scenario writers as technicians, the new directors knew only one earlier recognition and would have asserted themselves in any case in the following years. Among them and in addition to Henri-Georges Clouzot, it is advisable to quote names like those of Claude Autant-Lara, Jacques Becker, Robert Bresson, André Cayatte, Jean-Devaivre (then assistant), Christian-Jaque, Georges Lacombe which join other already celebrated realizers pre-war period like Marcel Carné or Maurice Tourneur.

As regards actor, one finds the almost initial ones like Gerard Philippe or François Périer but also of the artists experienced such as Raimu, Michel Simon, Pierre Larquey, Suzy Delair, Danielle Darrieux and, before emigrating temporarily in South America, Louis Jouvet.

The last film produced by this company is the Cellars of Majestic , an adaptation of a novel of Georges Simenon with Albert Préjean (in the role of the Maigret police chief), Gabriello, Suzy Prim, Denise Grey for most known. This turning is evoked besides in the feature film of Bertrand Tavernier, Laissez-passer (2002).

The most remarkable contribution of this company to the French cinema is, without question, the production of the film the Corbel of Clouzot. With the Release, the Comité of purification of the French cinema registers this dark and pessimistic work like its authors and actors on a black list. Some of them, with the image of Pierre Fresnay (then President of the actors) and Ginette Leclerc will make a long stay in prison (six months for the first, one year for the second of which a passage to Drancy). Clouzot will have itself to wait three years to leave the purgatory and to turn its famous Quai of the Goldsmiths in 1947.

Complete catalog of films

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