''Peace on the Rhine'' (French: ''Paix sur le Rhin'') is a 1938 French comedy drama film directed by

Jean Choux Jean Choux (1887–1946) was a French/Swiss film director and producer born in Geneva. Filmography * '' La Vocation d'André Carel'' (1925) * '' La Terre qui meurt'' (1926) * '' Le Baiser qui tue'' (1927) * '' Espionnage ou la guerre sans armes'' ...

and starring

Françoise Rosay Françoise Rosay (; born Françoise Bandy de Nalèche; 19 April 1891 – 28 March 1974) was a French opera singer, diseuse,''Design'', Volume 9 1965 p. 24 and actress who enjoyed a film career of over sixty years and who became a legendary figure ...

Dita Parlo Dita Parlo (born Grethe Gerda Kornstädt or Gerda Olga Justine Kornstädt; 4 September 1908 – 12 December 1971) was a German film actress. Early life and career Dita Parlo was born on 4 September 1908 in Stettin, Pomerania, then in the G ...

and John Loder. Rège p.893 The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Émile Duquesne. It is based on a novel of the same title by Pierre Claude. It was made to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of the Armistice of 1918 and promote reconciliation between France and Germany.

Synopsis

A family from

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

are deeply divided by the

First World War 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 ...

, with one son joining the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

and another fighting in the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

. The two brothers return after the war, one married to a German

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

, and ultimately overcome their resentments.

Cast

as Françoise Schaefer *

as Edwige Schaefer * John Loder as Émile Schaefer *

Abel Jacquin Abel Jacquin (1893–1968) was a French actor who appeared in more than thirty films between 1930 and 1956. Jacquin co-directed the 1933 comedy film '' Les deux 'Monsieur' de Madame''. He was also noted for his narration of the 1933 documentary '' ...

as Fritz Muller *

Georges Péclet Prosper Désiré "Georges" Péclet (27 July 1897 – 11 January 1974) was a French actor, director, and screenwriter. Career Between 1919 and 1957, Péclet played in ninety-five films (including several short films). He was an assistant directo ...

as Édouard Schaefer *

Michèle Alfa Michèle Alfa (born Joséphine Blanche Alfreda Bassignot; August 20, 1911 – August 24, 1987) was a French stage and film actress. After appearing mainly in supporting roles during the 1930s she starred in a number of films during the 1940s. D ...

as Suzanne Schaefer * Pauline Carton as Anna - la servante *

Rolla Norman Edouard Charles "Rolla" Norman (1889–1971) was a French stage and film actor. Selected filmography * ''The Assassination of the Duke of Guise'' (1908) * '' The Advocate'' (1925) * ''The Last Fort'' (1928) * '' The Vein'' (1928) * '' The Great ...

as Le major *

Jean Sinoël Jean Sinoël (13 August 1868 – 30 August 1949), often known simply as Sinoël, was a French actor and singer. Born Jean Léonis Blès in Sainte-Terre, Gironde, France, he died in Paris in 1949. Selected filmography * ''Captain Craddock'' (1931) ...

as Jean - le vieux domestique * Thérèse Reignier as Madame Muller * Jim Gérald as François Grets * Camille Bert as Le pére Schaefer * Mariane Asel as Une soeur de Fritz * Simone Harline as Une soeur de Fritz *

Jeanne Helbling Jeanne Helbling (July 26, 1903 – August 6, 1985) was a French film actressGoble p.37 and a prominent member of the French Resistance during World War II. Selected filmography * ''The Thruster'' (1924) * '' Mandrin'' (1924) * '' Captain Rascas ...

as Marie Grets * Janine Lozda as La fiancée de Grets * Eliane Pascal as Une soeur de Fritz

References

Bibliography

* Bessy, Maurice & Chirat, Raymond. ''Histoire du cinéma français: 1935-1939''. Pygmalion, 1986. * Crisp, Colin. ''Genre, Myth and Convention in the French Cinema, 1929-1939''. Indiana University Press, 2002. * Hayward, Susan. ''French National Cinema''. Routledge, 2006. * Rège, Philippe. ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors, Volume 1''. Scarecrow Press, 2009.

External links

* 1938 films French comedy films 1938 comedy films French drama films 1938 drama films 1930s French-language films Films directed by Jean Choux French black-and-white films 1930s French films Films based on French novels Films set in Alsace Films set in the 1910s {{1930s-France-film-stub