The film that most firmly established the talent of French director Raymond Bernard before his epic adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les misérables Wooden Crosses [Le croix de bois] was widely hailed at the time of its release in 1932 for its searing depiction of the horrors of the European front during World War I; subsequently Bernard was named soldier of honour of the 39th Infantry Division. Adapted from a novel by Roland Dorgelès (a former corporal of the 39th) Wooden Crosses offers a kaleidoscope of cinematographic technique to present a visceral... enveloping recreation of one regiment’s experience of battlefield hell. (Its entire cast is comprised of war veterans.) It is an epic tapestry that rivals John Ford’s Four Sons and Lewis Milestone’s All Quiet on the Western Front in both its poetry of trauma and steadfastness of conviction that war must be held in contempt. From a gorgeous new Pathé restoration carried out for the centenary for the start of the Great War Raymond Bernard’s Wooden Crosses retains a ferocity that continues to reverberate across generations. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present this new restoration of the film in a special Dual Format (Blu-ray + DVD) edition. Bonus Features: New HD 1080p presentation of the film from Pathé’s astonishing 2014 restoration Video interview with historian Marc Ferro and film historian Laurent Veray A short documentary on the new restoration Documentary Wooden Crosses: A Sonic Adventure Archival interview with director Raymond Bernard Archival interview with Roland Dorgelès Vintage 1914 newsreels Documentary piece on early 20th century poster artist Adrien Barrère Documentary The Absent Battle the Omnipresent War 36-PAGE BOOKLET featuring a new and exclusive interview by film critic Emmanuel Burdeau and rare archival material [show more]
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War drama following the experiences of a French regiment during the First World War. Amongst the swathes of enthusiastic youngsters signing up to serve in 1914 is student Gilbert Demachy (Pierre Blanchar). He is immediately ordered to join a brigade in the Champagne region where his countrymen are engaged in fierce trench warfare with the Germans. Along the way he gets to know and bonds with the rest of his company who have also stepped in to defend their country including the cook Bouffioux (Pierre Labry) and the joker of the brigade Vieuble (Antonin Artaud). But as the war drags on and the men finally enter the battlefields, their company weakens as many members are lost and those that survive are forced to constantly regroup and move on, leaving their friends behind.
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