Le Dernier Metro (aka The Last Metro) (1980)

After her Jewish husband (Heinz Bennent) is forced into hiding to avoid the Nazis in German occupied Paris during WWII,  his wife (Catherine Deneuve) takes over the running of their theater company. But it's a day to day struggle to survive amid the restrictive atmosphere of the Third Reich. While there have been many films dealing with France under the German occupation, Francois Truffaut's film takes a different route by concentrating on artists struggling to create their Art under oppressive political pressure as well as the human element of dealing with an invasive and intolerable fascist element. In a way, this mini valentine to theater makes a perfect companion piece to his DAY FOR NIGHT which did the same for cinema. This was one Truffaut's most popular films, not only critically but at the box office both in the U.S. and in France. It's easy to see why as he populates the film with an ensemble of engrossing characters, all beautifully acted. With Gerard Depardieu, Andrea Ferreol, Jean Poiret, Sabine Haudepin and Jean Louis Richard.