Les Croix de Bois - Collector's Digibook Edition | French War Drama Film | Perfect for History Buffs & Film Collectors

The initial scenes in Wooden Crosses--soldiers marching in formation and myriad wooden crosses on a field--convey a sense of foreboding. Then we see enthusiastic crowds welcoming the coming of the war, cheering as troops march by, and waving happily at soldiers on a train heading for combat. Large crowds of eager men surge toward a recruiting station. Thereafter, the movie follows the soldiers in one unit of the French 39th Infantry Regiment. At first, they are in a jovial mood. Thinking the fighting is over, they indulge in wine and celebratory dancing. But soon they are marched off to the front, singing confidently. From their bunker at the front, a night patrol is sent to inspect the German positions. They hear a German soldier singing. There is a German attack, and Vairon, a member of the patrol, is killed. Later, a letter addressed to Vairon arrives, and Gilbert Debachy (a law student and a principal character in the story), who is from Vairon's home town, takes the letter and tears it in pieces which he places on Vairon's grave.Even before they have much experience of combat, the men hear the sounds of German sappers digging under their bunker. They conclude that the Germans are about to lay explosives that will destroy the bunker and its inhabitants. One soldier nearly has a nervous breakdown. A relief group arrives and this unit moves out, minutes before the German explosives go off. In a church, we hear a man singing Ave Maria, as the camera cuts to a hospital where seriously wounded men are being treated. A soldier offers a simple prayer: Let us live. There follows a ten-day battle, as French soldiers go over the top facing machine gun and artillery fire. Two soldiers use the body of a deceased comrade as a parapet. The film of these scenes, with gun and artillery fire under a dark and overcast sky, is remarkably like actual wartime footage. It is after this battle that a soldier sings, "Oh yes, you'll get your cross. If not the Croix de Guerre, then a wooden cross." Later, as the soldiers put on a military parade, we see ghostly images of soldiers crossing the sky.In the ensuing battle, Demachy, who was about to go on leave, is wounded in no man's land. In great pain, he calls for a medic. But a responding medic is hit by an artillery shell. Other soldiers are also calling for medics. Demachy tries to stay conscious, hoping a medic will come after dark. A double exposed image reflects his recollections of happier times--singing marching songs, and dancing at home. But the medics never reach him.Although the various soldiers were from different social classes, they were not important as individuals. They all were simply components in a military machine. All the actors had seen combat in the war. Pierre Blanchar, who plays Gilbert Demachy, had been gassed at Verdun. It is not clear if the film depicts actual battles. Early in the war, there were two major battles in the area where it was filmed. In their initial attack, the Germans made their encircling movement too soon, and thus suffered a major defeat when the French attacked their exposed right flank at the First Battle of the Marne. It is evidently at this time that Demachy joins the unit, along with other reinforcements, expecting combat. The other soldiers laugh at him and tell him that the fighting is over. They are quickly disabused of this notion, and marched off to the front to engage in what was apparently the First Battle of Champagne, which lasted from late 1914 to early 1915, with the French seeking to break through the German lines and cut the railroad which brought their supplies. This attack failed, but the French attempted the same tactic a year later in the Second Battle of Champagne. The Germans detected French preparations, and called up reserves and established a second defensive line (the first in this war). The French broke through the first line, and were slaughtered by the second, which had not been affected by the initial French attack. This battle seems to be the second one portrayed in Wooden Crosses.Wooden Crosses follows the story and the dialog in the novel by Roland Dorgelès, who fought in the war. Filmed in the Champagne region of France, the film is noteworthy for its innovative cinematography and powerful sound effects. The filming took place on World War I battlefields, and explosives intentionally set off for the film occasionally triggered unexploded shells buried in the area. The film had a great impact when it was released. Significantly, it was first screened for delegates at the Geneva Disarmament Conference. It was next shown to veterans of the 39th Infantry Regiment, and then to the public "at a gala performance" attended by the President of France. After viewing the film, one veteran asked,"will any one dare, after this, dupe us and abuse us with falsely heroic daubings intended to depict the war?"This is a Region 2 version, unplayable on most U.S. DVD players. A U.S. playable version of Wooden Crosses (along with Les Miserables) is available on Eclipse Series 4 (released by The Criterion Collection),