Untel Pere Et Fils (1943)

Spanning the years from 1871 and the Franco Prussian War to 1938 and the ominous clouds of WWII, the chronicle of one family as they deal with war and its effect on their lives. Directed by Julien Duvivier, this is sort of a French version of the 1933 film CAVALCADE although much superior. Its daunting task of covering over 60 years in a two hour running time doesn't give much opportunity for in depth characterization and what we get are highlights of this family's lives. Still, a couple of the actors manage to create sharply defined characters in the brief time allotted them like Louis Jouvet who suffers the loss of the woman (Renee Devillers) he loves to his brother (Lucien Nat) and goes off to Africa and Raimu as the high living Uncle who eventually loses everything. It's an ambitious film that might not manage to overcome the fragmented nature of its narrative but retains its power nonetheless. The film was started in 1939 but WWII interrupted its filming and it wasn't released until 1943. With Michele Morgan, Louis Jourdan, Suzy Prim, Harry Krimer and Jean Mercanton.