La Kermesse Héroïque (Carnival In Flanders) (1935)

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(176 ratings)

Released in France as La Kermesse Heroique, Carnival in Flanders is set during the long-ago war between the Dutch and Spanish. A tiny village in Flanders is invaded by Spanish troops. The townsfolk have heard of Spanish cruelties in other towns, and decide to deflect the vanquishers by playing dead.… More Released in France as La Kermesse Heroique, Carnival in Flanders is set during the long-ago war between the Dutch and Spanish. A tiny village in Flanders is invaded by Spanish troops. The townsfolk have heard of Spanish cruelties in other towns, and decide to deflect the vanquishers by playing dead. This isn't terribly effective (you have to take a breath once in a while), so the wife of the burgomaster tries to soften up the invaders with a lavish carnival. So successful is this venture that the Spaniards allow the village to escape being decimated, or even taxed. An award-winner many times over, Carnival in Flanders was banned in Germany; evidently, Goebbels caught on that director Jacques Feyder and scenarists Bernard Zimmer and Charles Spaak were drawing deliberate parallels between the Spanish and the then-burgeoning Nazis. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Jacques Feyder
Written By: Charles Spaak/ Bernard Zimmer
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1935 Wide

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The mock-heroic bagatelle, a risqué undertaking at the time, still shines today with its shrewd commentary on human nature.

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Cast

Françoise Rosay
as Cornelia the Burgomaster's Wife
Jean Murat
as Duke d'Olivares
Louis Jouvet
as The Priest

André Alerme
as The Burgomaster
Lyne Clevers
as The Fishwife
Micheline Cheirel
as Siska

See full cast

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