Les Culottes rouges (1962)
Directed by Alex Joffé

Film Review

Former screenwriter Alex Joffé started his fairly brief filmmaking career with the off-kilter comedy Six heures à perdre (1947), and followed this with eleven further films made between 1953 and 1968. His most notable films are Les Hussards (1955), Fortunat (1960) and Les Culottes rouges, which was released on 19th December 1962.  All three of these films are coincidently (or not) war films.  Based on an original script by Joffé himself and the actor Étienne Berry (who also plays a supporting role) the film is concerned with two prisoners-of-war who have nothing in common but must join forces in an escape attempt.  Les Culottes rouges is a rare French film that talks about wartime prisoners in an original and touching way (another example being Henri Verneuil's La Vache et le prisonnier).  It derives it title from the name given to those who made repeated attempts to escape from prisoner of war camps.  The camp itself can be considered a microcosm of Nazi occuppied France. 

This little known comedy-drama has some funny and moving moments, and is an astute commentary on the period it portrays.  Alex Joffé may not have been a genius but he is a sensitive filmmaker with a penchant for character detail, able to deliver an interesting and poignant piece of cinema with broad appeal.  After Fortunat, Les Culottes rouges is easily his best film and is similarly distinguished by a magnificent performance from André Raimbourg, alias Bourvil.  Here, Bourvil shows his remarkable range as an actor in the role of the poor wretch Fendard, a sort of collaborator who is the epitome of a good prisoner.  Egocentric and intolerant, the part of Antoine Rossi is brilliantly played by Laurent Terzieff, another fine actor.  Les Culottes rouges was one of Joffé's most successful films, attracting an audience of two million in France.

Film Synopsis

During WWII, Antoine Rossi is a prisoner in a POW camp in Germany.  He has made several attempts to escape, but on each occasion he has failed and has to wear short red trousers as a warning to other would-be fugitives.  Antoine is not deterred, however, and prepares to make yet another break-out attempt.  Hiding beneath the stage of the camp theatre, he is discovered by Fendard, another prisoner of a timid and cowardly disposition.  Antoine coerces the latter into helping him escape and, for once, it looks as if he will succeed.  But Antoine's luck soon changes for the worse and he finds himself at Fendard's mercy.  Should Fendard help the man who has threatened and intimidated him, or should he leave him and save himself...?