''Fort Saganne'' is a 1984 French

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about naval, air, or land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle scenes means that war fi ...

directed by

Alain Corneau Alain Corneau (7 August 1943 – 30 August 2010) was a French film director and writer. Corneau was born in Meung-sur-Loire, Loiret. Originally a musician, he worked with Costa-Gavras as an assistant, which was also his first opportunity to work ...

and starring

Gérard Depardieu Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu, CQ (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor, filmmaker, businessman and vineyard owner since 1989 who is one of the most prolific thespians in film history having completed over 250 films since 1967 alm ...

Philippe Noiret Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career Noiret was born in Lille, France, the son of Lucy (Heirman) and Pierre Noiret, a clothing company representative. He was an indifferent student and ...

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

, and

Sophie Marceau Sophie Marceau (; born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu, 17 November 1966) is a French actress. As a teenager, she achieved popularity with her debut films ''La Boum'' (1980) and ''La Boum 2'' (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising Act ...

. Based on the 1980 novel of the same name by

Louis Gardel Louis Gardel is a notable French novelist, screenwriter, and publisher, born in Algiers in 1939. He is also publishing director of Éditions du Seuil and a permanent member of the Prix Renaudot jury. Bibliography * ''L'Été fracassé'' (1973) ...

, the film is about a soldier of humble beginnings who volunteers for service in the Sahara in 1911. After falling in love with the beautiful young daughter of the regional administrator, he is ordered to go on missions in the desert, where he engages in several successful campaigns and experiences severe loneliness. Later, while on a diplomatic mission to Paris, he has a brief affair with a journalist. Returning to Africa, he leads a gallant defense against a feared sultan and is awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. He returns to his home a national hero and marries the young girl he has not forgotten, but their happiness is interrupted by the onset of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. ''Fort Saganne'' was screened out of competition at the

1984 Cannes Film Festival The 37th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 23 May 1984. The Palme d'Or went to the ''Paris, Texas'' by Wim Wenders. The festival opened with ''Fort Saganne'', directed by Alain Corneau and closed with '' The Bounty'', directed by Roger D ...

. At the time of its production, ''Fort Saganne'' was France's biggest-budget film. The film earned 2,157,767 admissions in France. In 1985, the film was nominated for four

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

, for Best Actor (Gérard Depardieu), Best Cinematography (

Bruno Nuytten Bruno Nuytten (born 28 August 1945) is a French cinematographer turned director. ''Camille Claudel'' which was Nuytten's first directorial and screenwriting effort, won the César Award for Best film in 1989. The film starred and was co-produced ...

), Best Costume Design (

Corinne Jorry Corinne Jorry (born 23 April 1943) is a French costume designer. She was nominated four times for the César Award for Costume Design, which she won for her work in the film '' All the World's Mornings'' (1991). She was also nominated for the Ac ...

Rosine Delamare Denise Rosemonde "Rosine" Delamare (11 June 1911 – 17 March 2013) was a French costume designer. She was co-nominated for an Academy Award for her work on the film ''The Earrings of Madame de…'' (1953). Filmography Cinema * 1942 : '' T ...

), and Best Sound.

Plot

In 1911, a willful and determined man from peasant stock named Charles Saganne (Gérard Depardieu) enlists in the military and is assigned to the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

Desert under the aristocratic Colonel Dubreuilh (Philippe Noiret). Saganne attracts the attentions of Madeleine (Sophie Marceau), the daughter of the regional administrator. In the Sahara, Saganne earns the respect of the Arabs, including Amajan, an independent warrior. After several campaigns, Saganne travels to Paris on a diplomatic mission. After having an affair with a journalist in Paris, Saganne returns to Africa, where he leads a valliant defense against Sultan Omar. He is awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, and marries Madeleine. The onset of World War I puts his success and happiness at risk.

Cast

as Charles Saganne *

as Dubreuilh *

as Louise *

as Madeleine of Saint-Ilette *

Michel Duchaussoy Michel René Jacques Duchaussoy (29 November 1938 – 13 March 2012) was a French film actor, who appeared in more than 130 films between 1962 and 2012. At first a theatre actor, he worked for many years in the Comédie Française, where he ...

as Baculard * Roger Dumas as Vulpi *

Jean-Louis Richard Jean-Louis Richard (17 May 1927 – 3 June 2012) was a French actor, film director and scriptwriter. Biography Born as Jean Marius Richard in Paris, Richard was Jeanne Moreau's first husband from 1949 to 1951. Partial filmography *1960: '' � ...

as Flammarin *

Jean-Laurent Cochet Jean-Laurent Cochet (28 January 1935 – 7 April 2020) was a French director and actor. Biography He was best known for starring in movies such as '' A Thousand Billion Dollars'' and ''Fort Saganne''. He was an important teacher for acting. Hund ...

as Bertozza *

Pierre Tornade Pierre Tornade (21 January 1930 – 7 March 2012) was a French actor. He appeared in more than 120 films and television shows between 1956 and 1998. Biography He was born Pierre Tournadre on 21 January 1930 in Bort-les-Orgues in the departm ...

as Charles' Father * Saïd Amadis as Amajar *

René Clermont René Clermont (14 November 1921 – 24 October 1994) was a French stage and film actor as well as a playwright. Theatre Comedian *1933: ''Trois pour 100'' by Roger Ferdinand, directed by Gabriel Signoret, Théâtre Antoine as Barbouin * ...

as Monsieur de Saint-Ilette *

Hippolyte Girardot Hippolyte Girardot (born Frédéric Girardot; 10 October 1955) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. He is the father of actress Ana Girardot. Selected filmography * 1973: '' La Femme de Jean'', directed by Yannick Bellon, Rémi ...

as Courette * Sophie Grimaldi as Lady of Saint-Ilette *

Florent Pagny Florent Pagny (born 6 November 1961) is a French singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He records his work in French, as well as in Italian, Spanish and English. His greatest hits include " N'importe quoi", " Savoir aimer" and " Ma Liberté de ...

as Lucien

Production

''For Saganne'' was filmed on location at Abbaye du Moncel, Pontpoint, Oise, France, and Mauritania where the eponymous fort was built near the

Amojjar Pass Amojjar Pass is a mountain pass in the Adrar Plateau in the centre of Adrar, near Atar, Mauritania. The pink-brown sandstone of the pass was worn away by repeated cycles of extreme dryness interrupted by torrential rain. The bases of the steep ...

close to

Atar Atar, Atash, or Azar ( ae, 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭, translit=ātar) is the Zoroastrian concept of holy fire, sometimes described in abstract terms as "burning and unburning fire" or "visible and invisible fire" (Mirza, 1987:389). It is considered to b ...

Reception

Box office

At the time of its production, ''Fort Saganne'' was France's biggest-budget film. The film earned 2,157,767 admissions in France.

Critical response

At the time of its theatrical release, the film received mixed reviews. In ''Variety'' magazine, the reviewer observed that the film "is often fine in its large-scale reconstruction of a time and place and a mentality, but falters in its attempts to inscribe well-detailed characters in its wide-screen canvas." The reviewer also found the romantic relationships depicted in the film to be underdeveloped. In her review in ''Allmovie'', Eleanor Mannikka gave the film three out of fivstars, noting that the "sweep of this epic skims over the qualities that transformed Saganne from an ordinary officer to a great military leader." Mannikka concluded:

Awards and nominations

* 1985 César Award Nomination for Best Actor (Gérard Depardieu) * 1985 César Award Nomination for Best Cinematography (Bruno Nuytten) * 1985 César Award Nomination for Best Costume Design (Corinne Jorry, Rosine Delamare) * 1985 César Award Nomination for Best Sound (Jean-Paul Loublier, Claude Villand, Pierre Gamet).

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Saganne 1984 films 1980s French-language films Films directed by Alain Corneau Films set in 1911 French war films French epic films War epic films World War I films set in Africa Films set in deserts Films set in the French colonial empire Films shot in Mauritania Films scored by Philippe Sarde Films set in Mauritania 1980s war films Films set in the Sahara 1980s French films