History, Film and Memory: Representing World Wars in French cinema

Module Identifier: FR27820
Module Title: History, Film and Memory: Representing World Wars in French cinema
Academic Year: 2026/2027
Semester: Semester 2
Co-ordinator: Dr Gabor Gelleri
Reading List: View on Aspire
Pre-Requisite: FR11740 or FR11940
Other Staff: Mrs Julie Duran-Gelleri

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	Oral presentation: 20 Minutes	20%
Semester Assessment	Essay 1: 2000 Words	40%
Semester Assessment	Creative assessment OR essay 2: 2000 Words	40%
Supplementary Assessment	Oral presentation: 20 Minutes	20%
Supplementary Assessment	Essay 1: 2000 Words	40%
Supplementary Assessment	Creative assessment OR essay 2: 2000 Words	40%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Understand and interpret historical films, with an awareness of their social, historical and scientific context
Conduct research related to the films: primary texts and secondary literature; reading critically secondary literature
Show awareness of the historical and intellectual background of the conflicts and of the resulting films
Express themselves clearly both in speaking and in writing
Aural skills: precise understanding of the films discussed

Brief description

This module, taught in English, will approach the various cinematographic representations of World Wars and their aftermath within French cinema, with an emphasis on the links between national memory, historiography, and cinematographic production.

Through the study of world war films, the module will assess generally the questions of truth, authenticity and fiction within historical films; the possible functions of historical film in the shaping of a ‘national history’ (creating or challenging its defining narratives). Students will also assess the particularity of films in their contrast to texts on the same topics, such as the distinction of verbal, non-verbal, para-verbal and visual dimensions.

Content

Films discussed include: ‘La grande illusion’ (Jean Renoir, 1937), ‘La victoire en chantant’ (Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1976), ‘Un long dimanche de fiançailles (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2004), ‘La grande vadrouille’ (Gérard Oury, 1966), ‘Un héros très discret’ (Jacques Audiard, 1996), ‘Indigènes’ (Rachid Bouchareb, 2006), ‘La rafle’ (Rose Bosch, 2010), ‘La traversée de Paris’ (Claude Autant-Lara, 1956), ‘Le Chagrin et la Pitié’ (Marcel Ophüls, 1969) and ‘Monsieur Batignole’ (Gérard Jugnot, 2002).

Week 1: Introduction: History and cinema: truth, verisimilitude, fiction.
Week 2-5: Films of the Great War. Films discussed include ‘La Grande illusion’, ‘La victore en chantant’ and ‘Un long dimanche de fiançailles’
Week 7-10: World War 2 films. Films discussed include ‘La grande vadrouille’, ‘Un héros très discret’ and ‘Indigènes’
Week 11 Closing discussion: war on film: a question for the past or the present

Module skills

Skills type	Skills details
Adaptability and resilience	Ability to work independently; working towards research questions; working with relevant sources; increased awareness of cultural context, intercultural issues (eg. in discussion of war and colonization)
Creative Problem Solving	Students will need to find relevant primary sources (eg. for the study of the reception of films) and secondary literature for the in-class discussions and for the assignments.
Critical and analytical thinking	Students have to carry out research, facilitated by the convener, in preparation for their assessments, including identifying and localizing source texts and secondary literature.
Digital capability	Online research, creation of individual presentation. Creation of digital materials can be part of the creative assessment.
Professional communication	Development of clear and accurate communication in writing and in speaking, in English and in French
Reflection	The assignments are based on independent research, with consultation possibilities with the module convener. The quality of independent thinking, and a critical engagement with secondary literature, will be assessed.
Subject Specific Skills	Students have to do directed research in preparation for their assessments, including identifying and localizing source texts and secondary literature, in French as well as in English.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5