Please join us online as we discuss The Last Metro, the 1980 film directed by François Truffaut, and starring Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu. The story is set in wartime Paris as the members of a Montmartre theater company rehearse under the confines of the Nazi occupation. Vincent Canby of The New York times, “commend[ed] the shape of the film, which effectively covers the last two years of the occupation and leads to a conclusion that, for sheer, bold theatricality, may remind you of the end of Luis Bunuel’s Tristana.” He also praised the cast, especially “Mr. Depardieu, as much for the control he exercises throughout most of the film as for the strength he displays in the film’s big scene.”
Screen the film at home on Max, Amazon, Hulu, the Criterion Channel, or other popular streaming services, and then join Joelle Pluchon and Peter Zingg at 12 noon on Wednesday, October 23 for a bilingual discussion on Zoom.
With Joelle’s return to the Santa Rosa area in November, we plan to do our next Parlons Cinema event in person, with a screening at the Alliance foyer or at a local movie house. Stay tuned for more information.
Film Details
Original title / Titre originale: Le Dernier Métro (1980)
Running time / Durée: 2h11m
Genres: Drama, Romance, War
Directed by / Réalisé par: François Truffaut
Casting: Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Jean Poiret, Andréa Ferréol, Paulette Dubost
Stream it online / Regarder sur: Max, Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Alors que les Allemands occupent la moitié de la France, Marion Steiner ne pense qu’aux répétitions de la pièce qu’elle doit monter au théâtre Montmartre dont elle assure la direction depuis que son mari, Lucas, juif allemand, s’est enfui de Paris. En réalité, Lucas s’est réfugié dans les sous-sols du bâtiment. Chaque soir, Marion lui rend visite et commente avec lui le travail des comédiens, notamment celui du jeune premier de la troupe, Bernard Granger.
In occupied Paris, an actress married to a Jewish theater owner must keep him hidden from the Nazis while doing both of their jobs.