Les femmes de l'ombre (2008)

Director:

Jean-Paul Salomé

Writers:

Jean-Paul Salomé (writer)
Laurent Vachaud (writer)

Release Date:

5 March 2008 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

In May 1944, a group of French servicewomen and resistance fighters are enlisted into the British Special...

Plot Keywords:

Rescue | Commando | D Day | Resistance | 1944

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Sophie Marceau	...	Louise Desfontaines
Julie Depardieu	...	Jeanne Faussier
Marie Gillain	...	Suzy Desprez
Déborah François	...	Gaëlle Lemenech
Moritz Bleibtreu	...	SS Colonel Heindrich
Maya Sansa	...	Maria Luzzato
Julien Boisselier	...	Pierre Desfontaines
Vincent Rottiers	...	Eddy
Volker Bruch	...	Lieutenant Becker
Robin Renucci	...	Melchior
Xavier Beauvois	...	Charles Granville
Colin David Reese	...	Colonel Maurice Buckmaster
Jurgen Mash	...	Gerd Von Rundstedt
Conrad Cecil	...	Le géologue anglais
Alexandre Jazede	...	René Bourienne
David Capelle	...	Bernard Quesnot
Wolfgang Pissors	...	Le médecin du train
Chantal Garrigues	...	Mme Duchemin
James Gerard	...	L'officier anglais #1 SOE Officier
Edward Hamilton-Clark	...	L'officier anglais #2
Marc Bertolini	...	Le moustachu du train
Rainer Sievert	...	Le lieutenant l'hôpital Normandie
Ashley Wanninger	...	Le soldat cour radio hôpital
Natasha Cashman	...	La secrétaire de Buckmaster
Stanislas Kemper	...	Le pilote Jeanne Raf
Simon Boyle	...	Dispatcher
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stéphane Foenkinos
Johannes Oliver Hamm	...	Mayor SS Train
Stefan Kollmuss	...	Officier Wehrmacht
Alex Lutz
Jan Oliver Schroeder	...	Garde entrée hopital

Directed by
Jean-Paul Salomé

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jean-Paul Salomé		writer
Laurent Vachaud		writer

Produced by
Éric Névé	....	producer

Original Music by
Bruno Coulais

Cinematography by
Pascal Ridao

Film Editing by
Marie-Pierre Renaud

Casting by
Stéphane Foenkinos

Production Design by
Françoise Dupertuis

Set Decoration by
Sébastien Monteux-Halleur

Costume Design by
Pierre-Jean Larroque

Makeup Department
Nurith Barkan	....	makeup department head
Bernard Floch	....	makeup artist
Odile Fourquin	....	makeup department head
Marie-Anne Hum	....	makeup reinforcement

Production Management
Christina Crassaris	....	post-production supervisor
Audrey Legendre	....	assistant unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Serge Boutleroff	....	first assistant director (as Serge Onteniente)
Marianne Capian	....	second assistant director
Clément Comet	....	second assistant director: second unit
Aurélien Fauchet	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Virginie Verdeaux	....	assistant property master

Sound Department
François Boudet	....	sound assistant
Marilena Cavola	....	dialogue editor
Clément Chagot	....	assistant foley mixer
Pascal Chauvin	....	foley artist
Vincent Cosson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Aymeric Dupas	....	sound assistant
Marie Guesnier	....	sound recordist
Vincent Guillon	....	supervising sound editor
Dean Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Grégory Lacroix	....	boom operator
Gilles Missir	....	foley mixer
Laurent Poirier	....	sound
Loïc Prian	....	sound editor
Franck Tassel	....	assistant foley artist
Malo Thouément	....	assistant sound

Special Effects by
Olivier Marais	....	special effects
Julien Poncet de la Grave	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Guillaume Bauer	....	digital compositor
Fabien Coupez	....	flame artist
Sebastien Gombeaud-Saintonge	....	Flame artist: Mac Guff Ligne, Paris
Amélie Guyot	....	on-set matchmover
Peregrine MacCafferty	....	matchmove artist
Patrick Siboni	....	digital compositor: Flame artist
Philippe Sonrier	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Gaëlle Cohen	....	stunt double: Sophie Marceau
Enrico Horn	....	stunt performer
Gregory Loffredo	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Simon Bérard	....	gaffer
Mathieu Caudroy	....	Steadicam operator
Marie Celette	....	second assistant camera
Sarah Couvelaire	....	assistant camera
Adrien Debackere	....	additional focus puller
Benoit Dentan	....	aerial camera operator
Steven Desbrow	....	camera operator: helicopter
Odile Euriat	....	assistant camera
Jean-Yves Freess	....	key grip
Thibault Grabherr	....	still photographer
Colin Houben	....	camera operator
Loïc Limosin	....	electrician
Denis Paillieux	....	electrician
Nathalie Savale	....	first assistant camera
Maryline Touret	....	assistant camera

Casting Department
Catherine Deserbais	....	extras casting
Marion Pastor	....	extras casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Florie Vaslin	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Denis Bedlow	....	first assistant editor
Anne-Sophie Bion	....	assistant editor
Isabelle Julien	....	color grader
Frederic Jupin	....	digital conformation
Philippe Reinaudo	....	digital intermediate technical director

Other crew
Marie Barré	....	location scout
Christophe Chauveau	....	key location scout
Corinne Devaux	....	choreographer
Francois Litou	....	location assistant
Fabien Pondevaux	....	location scout
Luc Poullain	....	helicopter pilot: camera
Cécile Rodolakis	....	script assistant
Harmel Sbraire	....	coach: actors

Production Companies

• Les Chauves-Souris

Distributors

• Cinéart (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• TFM Distribution (2008) (France) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Koch Media (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• Revolver Entertainment (2008) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Vendetta Films (2008) (New Zealand) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Mac Guff Ligne (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Aerial Camera Systems  helicopter gyrostabilized camera system

Also Known As:

Female Agents (International: English title)

Runtime:

Germany:117 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | German | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/12 | UK:15 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | France:U (with warning)

Company:

Les Chauves-Souris

Goofs:

Factual errors: Pubs in England are called by their descriptive name, example: The Nags Head, not 'The Nags Head Pub'.

Gritty WWII mission drama, ala the Dirty Dozen

I saw this film at this years Seattle International Film Festival, and other than the bizarre choice of "Female Agents" as the English title, I loved it. I think a more direct translation of the title as "Women of the Shadows" or some such would have been much more evocative.

The film itself is a gritty WWII espionage drama in the classic mold, with the team of misfits being assembled to do the job that only they can do. Only in this case, they are women. The film does not shrink from the grittiness and danger of the mission, especially when it extends to several gutwrenching interrogation scenes. There is no chivalry in this war. Moritz Bleibtreu is especially effective as an SS Colonel who believes himself to be a decent man, doing only what he must, yet in reality committing atrocity after atrocity.

Special effects are well used to give us occupied Paris in great detail, and the whole look of the film is quite stylish. A recommended film!