Is Paris Burning? (Paris brûle-t-il?)

1966

Is Paris Burning? (Paris brûle-t-il?)

Critics Consensus

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67%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 6

72%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 1,319

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Movie Info

In 1944, with Paris on the verge of Liberation by the allies, Adolph Hitler ordered that the City of Light be blown up and burned to the ground. General Dietrich Von Choltitz, after much rumination, decided that he didn't want to go down in history as the man who destroyed Paris. His refusal to follow Hitler's orders would make him a pariah in Germany for the rest of his life; nor was his gesture ever rewarded by the Allies. From this very human story in the midst of one of the most inhuman conflicts in history grew the screenplay (by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola) of the all-star, internationally produced Is Paris Burning? Whereas the earlier The Longest Day was able to support a castful of celebrities and brief subplot vignettes, Is Paris Burning? seems more weighted down than weighty. Still, a modern audience will have fun playing "spot the star" throughout the film, especially when those spotted stars include the likes of Gert Frobe (as Choltitz), Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain Delon, Kirk Douglas (as Patton), Glenn Ford (as Bradley), Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Robert Stack, and even Anthony Perkins as a wide-eyed GI. Filmed on a gargantuan scale, Is Paris Burning? was based on a book by Larry Collins and Dominique LaPierre. The film was lensed in black and white, save for the Technicolor finale (in the original road-show prints).

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Cast

Gert Fröbe
as Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz
Orson Welles
as Consul Raoul Nordling
Alain Delon
as Jacques Chaban-Delmas
Pierre Vaneck
as Maj. Roger Gallois
Jean-Paul Belmondo
as Morandat
Charles Boyer
as Monod
Leslie Caron
as Francoise Labe
Jean-Pierre Cassel
as Lt. Henri Karcher
George Chakiris
as GI in Tank
Claude Dauphin
as Lebel
Kirk Douglas
as Gen. George Patton
Glenn Ford
as Gen. Omar Bradley
Daniel Gélin
as Yves Bayet
E.G. Marshall
as Intelligence Officer Powell
Yves Montand
as Marcel Bizien
Anthony Perkins
as Sgt. Warren
Claude Rich
as Gen. Jacques Leclerc
Simone Signoret
as Cafe Proprietress
Robert Stack
as Gen. Edwin Sibert
Jean-Louis Trintignant
as Serge
Marie Versini
as Claire
Skip Ward
as GI with Warren
Bruno Cremer
as Col. Rol
Suzy Delair
as A Parisienne
Pierre Dux
as Parodi
Billy Frick
as Hitler
Harry Meyen
as Von Arnim
Hannes Messemer
as Jodl
Michel Piccoli
as Pisani
Sacha Pitoëff
as Joliot-Curie
Wolfgang Preiss
as Ebernach
Michel Berger
as Chief of Explosives
Gehrard Borman
as Von Choltitz's Secretary
Georges Claisse
as Intern with Monod
Germaine de France
as Old Woman
Doc Ericson
as Jeep Driver
Michel Etcheverry
as Luizet
Pascal Fardoulis
as Gilet
Bernard Fresson
as Liaison Agent
Ernst Fritz Fürbringer
as von Boineburg
Clara Gansard
as Wife of Col. Rol
Rol Gauffin
as Consul Nordling's Secretary
Ernst F. Furbringer
as von Boineburg
Georges Géret
as Cmdr. George
Michel Gonzalès
as Jacques
Konrad Georg
as Von Model
Claus Holm
as Huhm
Jean-Pierre Honoré
as Alain Perpezat
Peter Jacob
as Gen. Burgdorf
Catherine Kamenka
as Diane
Billy Kearns
as Patton Aide
Pierre Collet
as Policier resistant
Paul Crauchet
as Le cure
Joelle Latour
as Young Girl with Warren
Hubert de Lapparent
as Huissier Matignon
Michael Lonsdale
as Debu-Bridel
Roger Lumont
as `Jade Amicol'
Maria Machado
as Stella
Aime de March
as Roland Pre
Félix Marten
as Landrieu
Paloma Matta
as The Bride
Pierre Mirat
as Cafe Proprietor
Harald Momm
as Col. Jay
Georges Montant
as Doctor
Peter Neusser
as SS tapisserie de Bayeux
Russ Moro
as Lieutenant with Warren
Del Negro
as Officer with Chaban-Delmas
Jean-Michel Rouziere
as Monsieur au chien
Jean Négroni
as Villon
Alain Pommier
as Franjoux
Georges Poujouly
as Landrieux
Michel Puterflam
as Laffont
Christian Rode
as Blache
Serge Rousseau
as Col. Fabien
Michel Sales
as Gallois' friend
Wolfgang Saure
as Hegel
Georges Staquet
as Capt. Dronne
Otto Stern
as Wagenknecht
Henia Suchar
as Prefecture Switchboard Operator
Toni Taffin
as Bernard Labe
Pierre Tamin
as Maurannes
Jean Valmont
as Bazooka
Jo Warfield
as Major with Chaban-Delmas
Joachim Westhoss
as German Officer with Claire
Jean-Pierre Zola
as Cpl. Mayer
Karl Otto Alberty
as SS Man- at the famous Bayeux Tapestry
Albert Remy
as Policeman
Joachim Hansen
as Fresnes prison commander
Günter Meisner
as Commandant SS à Pantin
Helmut Schneider
as German Warrant Officer at Metro
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Critic Reviews for Is Paris Burning? (Paris brûle-t-il?)

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Audience Reviews for Is Paris Burning? (Paris brûle-t-il?)

  • Sep 08, 2006
    Not bad looking. With a superb script by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppula and directed by Rene Clement. Filmed in Panavision(was Oscar nominated for its stunning black and white cimematopgraphy),this film boasts an all star cast which features Charles Boyer,Leslie Caron,Glenn Ford,Henry Fonda,Robert Stack and a execptional performance by Kirk Douglas as General Patton. Be forewarned here since this picture runs over three hours long.
    Mister C Super Reviewer
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