Safe Conduct (Laissez-passer) (2001)

75% of critics liked it
(36 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(443 ratings)

During the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, the nation's movie studios continued to operate; some filmmakers and technicians simply went along with what their new leaders demanded in hopes keeping themselves and their families safe, while others sought to subvert the messages of their… More During the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, the nation's movie studios continued to operate; some filmmakers and technicians simply went along with what their new leaders demanded in hopes keeping themselves and their families safe, while others sought to subvert the messages of their captors through their work. Safe Conduct, directed by Bertrand Tavernier, is a fact-based period drama which examines two men working for a Parisian film company during 1942 and 1943, as well as their friends, family, and loved ones. Jean Devaivre (played by Jacques Gamblin) is an assistant director for Continental Pictures, a studio which has recently been taken over by the Germans and is headed by Dr. Greven (Christian Berkel), a self-styled aficionado of French filmmaking. With a wife (Marie Desgranges) and a newborn son to support, Devaivre feels he has little choice but to continue with his work, though as he rises from assisting to becoming a full fledged director thanks to the efforts of Maurice Tourneur (Philippe Morier-Genoud), he struggles to work his own views into his pictures as much as he can. Screenwriter Jean Aurenche (Denis Podalydes), a man who lives for wine, women and song (not necessarily in that order), refuses to work for Greven, and as he bounces between his many lovers - actress Suzanne Raymond (Charlotte Kady), no-nonsense streetwalker Olga (Marie Gillain), and soft-hearted Reine (Maria Pitarresi), a struggles to find a way to make a living with his words. Both Devaivre and Aurenche were real-life figures in the French film industry during the occupation, as were many of Safe Conduct's supporting characters; the real life Aurenche went on to write the screenplay for Bertrand Travernier's first feature film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Bertrand Tavernier
Written By: Jean Cosmos, Bertrand Tavernier
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Mar 22, 2002 Wide
On DVD: May 11, 2004
Studio: Empire Pictures

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
[While The Last Metro] was more melodramatic, confined to a single theater company and its strategies and deceptions, while Tavernier is more concerned with the entire period of history.
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
No one who loves French film (or movies in general) should miss it.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
There's an epic here, but you have to put it together yourself.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Though it runs 163 minutes, Safe Conduct is anything but languorous. It's packed to bursting with incident, and with scores of characters, some fictional, some from history.
Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News
You could love Safe Conduct (Laissez Passer) for being a subtitled French movie that is 170 minutes long. You could hate it for the same reason.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Unfolds as one of the most politically audacious films of recent decades from any country, but especially from France.
Louis Proyect, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Controversial film about art under occupation
Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com
[Director] Tavernier takes his time in capturing this time period - at the expense of a concise narrative and often the viewer's interest.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Tavernier's fatal flaw is letting the film bog down in studio politics and the filmmaking process, something which hasn't carried a "serious" film since The Player.
Marta Barber, Miami Herald
Longer than 2 1/2 hours, there's too much to sort out and the confusion becomes annoying.
Jurgen Fauth, About.com
Obsessively detailed and impeccably observed, the film is bursting with the stuff of everyday life and curious wartime anecdotes.
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy
Alain Choquart's camera barely stops moving, portraying both the turmoil of the time and giving Conduct a perpetual sense of urgency.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
["Safe Conduct"] is a long movie at 163 minutes but it fills the time with drama, romance, tragedy, bravery, political intrigue, partisans and sabotage. Viva le Resistance!
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
With a large cast representing a broad cross-section, Tavernier's film bounds along with the rat-a-tat energy of "His Girl Friday," maintaining a light touch while tackling serious themes.
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion
There's an excellent 90-minute film here; unfortunately, it runs for 170.
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
It might be 'easier' to watch on video at home, but that shouldn't stop die-hard French film connoisseurs from going out and enjoying the big-screen experience.