''Un balcon en forêt'' () is a 1978 French war drama film directed by

Michel Mitrani Michel Mitrani (1930 - 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was the founder of the Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels in 1987. His 1974 film ''Black Thursday (film), Les Guichets du Louvre'' was entered into the 24t ...

, starring

Humbert Balsan Humbert Jean René Balsan (21 August 1954 – 10 February 2005) was a French film producer and chairman of the European Film Academy. He was known for securing financing and distribution for diverse and often challenging films. In February 2005, ...

, Aïna Wallé,

Yves Afonso Yves Afonso (13 February 1944 – 21 January 2018) was a French actor of Portuguese descent. He was born in Saulieu in the Côte-d'Or ''département''. Since his uncredited debut in the movie '' Masculin, féminin'' in 1966, he had many roles, ...

, Jacques Charby, and

Jacques Villeret Jacques Villeret (; 6 February 1951 – 28 January 2005) was a French actor, best known internationally for his role as François Pignon in the comedy '' Le Dîner de Cons''. During his career, he earned many awards including the prestigious ...

. It is set in a forest in the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

in 1939, where a group of men occupy a concrete blockhouse in anticipation of an offence from the German army. It is based on the novel '' Balcony in the Forest'' by

Julien Gracq Julien Gracq (; born Louis Poirier; 27 July 1910 – 22 December 2007) was a French writer. He wrote novels, critiques, a play, and poetry. His literary works were noted for their dreamlike abstraction, elegant style and refined vocabulary. He ...

and was produced by

Antenne 2 France 2 () is a French free-to-air public television channel. The flagship channel of France Télévisions, it broadcasts generalist programming including news, entertainment (such as dramas, films, and game shows), factual programmes, and sp ...

. The film was in the

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

selection at the

1978 Cannes Film Festival The 31st Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 30 May 1978. American filmmaker Alan J. Pakula served as jury president for the main competition. Italian filmmaker Ermanno Olmi won the ''Palme d'Or'', the festival's top prize, for the drama ...

. It was released in French cinemas on 28 February 1979, distributed by Gaumont.

References

External links

* 1978 films French war drama films French World War II films Films based on French novels Films based on works by Julien Gracq Films directed by Michel Mitrani France 2 Cinéma films {{WWII-film-stub