Paris brûle-t-il? (1966)

English title: Is Paris Burning?

Dramatic reconstruction of the liberation of Paris. The Resistance is divided into several factions. The Allies initially intend to circumvent Paris, but are convinced to enter the city because the Nazis intend to destroy it in case of defeat.

This is a competent historical drama filled with impressive war action sequences, both staged and documental. Some people have complained that the plot is not easy to follow, but that is not true, although it helps to read the Wikipedia entry before watching the film. This film is ultimately a dramatization of a philosophical question: given the choice of saving a work of art and saving human lives, which is preferrable? In the film this question is a bit nuanced, since saving Art (which in the film is epitomized by the Louvre and Notre Dame cathedral) also implies saving the lives of Parisians; the question persists, however, because by circumventing Paris, while it meant sacrificing the art and the people of Paris, also meant putting a faster end to the war, and thus saving a greater number of lives. This is somewhat akin to the problem posed in The Doctor's Dilemma, a play by Shaw.

The version I saw was spoken in English, which meant all the non-anglophone actors were dubbed.

Rating: 60