France, 1943. During the Nazi Occupation, the gypsy Django Reinhardt
is a popular guitar player, a star of the Folies Bergères in Paris.
Meanwhile, his brothers across Europe are being systematically slaughtered
by the Nazis in the course of their programme of ethnic cleansing.
Django finds himself in a difficult position when he is invited by the Germans
to perform at a series of concerts in Berlin. His admirer and mistress,
Louise de Kerk, suspects a trap and advises him to flee to Switzerland to
evade capture. With his pregnant wife Naguine and mother Negros, Django
manages to get as far as Lake Geneva without incident, but before he can
proceed any further he is caught up in the drama of war. With danger
all around him, Django must exercise every ounce of cunning if he is to get
to safety with his family, or else suffer the same fate as his unfortunate
brethren...
In the 1910s, French cinema led the way with a new industry which actively encouraged innovation. From the serials of Louis Feuillade to the first auteur pieces of Abel Gance, this decade is rich in cinematic marvels.
In the 1940s, the shadowy, skewed visual style of 1920s German expressionism was taken up by directors of American thrillers and psychological dramas, creating that distinctive film noir look.
In his letters to his friends and family, Franz Kafka gives us a rich self-portrait that is surprisingly upbeat, nor the angst-ridden soul we might expect.