Laissez-passer (2002)

TOMATOMETER

75%
73%

Critic Consensus: A highly detailed, exciting historical epic.

AUDIENCE SCORE

76%

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Movie Info

During the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, the nation's movie studios continued to operate; some filmmakers and technicians simply went along with what their new leaders demanded in hopes keeping themselves and their families safe, while others sought to subvert the messages of their captors through their work. Safe Conduct, directed by Bertrand Tavernier, is a fact-based period drama which examines two men working for a Parisian film company during 1942 and 1943, as well as their friends, family, and loved ones. Jean Devaivre (played by Jacques Gamblin) is an assistant director for Continental Pictures, a studio which has recently been taken over by the Germans and is headed by Dr. Greven (Christian Berkel), a self-styled aficionado of French filmmaking. With a wife (Marie Desgranges) and a newborn son to support, Devaivre feels he has little choice but to continue with his work, though as he rises from assisting to becoming a full fledged director thanks to the efforts of Maurice Tourneur (Philippe Morier-Genoud), he struggles to work his own views into his pictures as much as he can. Screenwriter Jean Aurenche (Denis Podalydes), a man who lives for wine, women and song (not necessarily in that order), refuses to work for Greven, and as he bounces between his many lovers - actress Suzanne Raymond (Charlotte Kady), no-nonsense streetwalker Olga (Marie Gillain), and soft-hearted Reine (Maria Pitarresi), a struggles to find a way to make a living with his words. Both Devaivre and Aurenche were real-life figures in the French film industry during the occupation, as were many of Safe Conduct's supporting characters; the real life Aurenche went on to write the screenplay for Bertrand Travernier's first feature film.

Cast

Jacques Gamblin
as Jean-Devaivre
Denis Podalydès
as Jean Aurenche
Charlotte Kady
as Suzanne Raymond
Marie Desgranges
as Simone Devaivre
Ged Marlon
as Jean-Paul Le Chanois
Philippe Morier-Genoud
as Maurice Tourneur
Laurent Schilling
as Charles Spaak
Maria Pitarresi
as Reine Sorignal
Christian Berkel
as Dr. Greven
Olivier Brun
as Jacques Dubuis
Richard Sammel
as Richard Pottier
Marie Gillain
as Olga
Olivier Gourmet
as Roger Richebé
Philippe Said
as Pierre Nord
Liliane Rovère
as Mémaine
Götz Burger
Serge Riaboukine
Didier Sauvegrain
Thierry Gibault
as Paul Maillebuau
Christophe Odent
as Pierre Bost
Pierre Lacan
Jean-Yves Roan
Bruno Raffaelli
Jean-Claude Calon
Herrade
Viviane Crausaz
Noelle Cazenave
Jorg Schnass
Dominique Pacitti
Dominique Dubreuil
Pascal Leguennec
Eric Petitjean
Michel Charvaz
Jean-Yves Ruf
Jean-Paul Audrain
Emmanuelle Bataille
Georges Viry
Vincent Schmitt
Valerie Dermagne
Jean-Luc Buquet
Hans Werner Meyer
Betty Teboulle
Philippe Duclos
Radu Duda
Niels Dubost
Pierre Berriau
François Loriquet
Philippe Frécon
Jean-Christophe Cavanon
Philippe Polet
Richard Guedj
Claude Aufaure
Valerie Baurens
Jean-Pierre Léonardini
Daniel Gerno
Francoise Sage
Jean-Claude Frissung
Tonio Descanvelle
Sébastien Thiery
Daniel Dublet
Wolfgang Pissor
Henri Attal
Françoise Bette
Jacques Boudet
Stéphane Butet
Jeremy Child
Daniel Delabesse
Robert Glenister
Lara Guirao
Jonathan Kydd
Daniel Langlet
Max Morel
Tim Pigott-Smith
Toby Sedgwick
Tania Torrens
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Critic Reviews for Laissez-passer

All Critics (36) | Top Critics (15)

Longer than 2 1/2 hours, there's too much to sort out and the confusion becomes annoying.

Jan 23, 2004 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
Miami Herald
Top Critic

[While The Last Metro] was more melodramatic, confined to a single theater company and its strategies and deceptions, while Tavernier is more concerned with the entire period of history.

May 9, 2003 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic

No one who loves French film (or movies in general) should miss it.

May 8, 2003 | Rating: 4/4
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic

There's an epic here, but you have to put it together yourself.

Mar 28, 2003 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
Boston Globe
Top Critic

Though it runs 163 minutes, Safe Conduct is anything but languorous. It's packed to bursting with incident, and with scores of characters, some fictional, some from history.

Mar 21, 2003 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic

You could love Safe Conduct (Laissez Passer) for being a subtitled French movie that is 170 minutes long. You could hate it for the same reason.

Feb 6, 2003 | Rating: B- | Full Review…
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (36)

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