Is Paris Burning?

Is Paris Burning? (1966)

Runtime: 173 minutes

Directed by: Rene Clement

Starring: An incredible cast which I'll mention in the review

From: A few companies in France and the United States. It was released by Paramount

Anthony Perkins fires a bazooka; need I say more?

It seemed a good idea after The Train to watch another famous picture revolving around the Liberation of Paris in 1944 during World War II. This will leave the Criterion Channel at the end of the year and as I dig both & all-star casts and Second World War pictures, it seemed apropos.

In a fictionalized version of real life events, Gert Frobe plays a Nazi general who is dispatched to Paris and an insane Hitler (as if there was a not insane Hitler) tasks him to blow Paris up if the Allied Powers come near to save the French after 4 years. The first half presents those in the French Resistance; importantly, not all of them are on the same page so one segment will do something bold in defiance and the rest have to catch up or perhaps try to stop what could be a deadly mistake. The second half introduces the Allies as they triumphantly march into town.

Look at all the talent involved:

Kirk Douglas; in fact, the Channel has it in a section devoted to movies “starring” him. That's rich in this case as he only has a 3 minute scene-as General Patton!-and that's it.
Orson Welles
Anthony Perkins, who does in fact fire a bazooka in the final act.
Glenn Ford
Robert Stack

Besides several German actors who were famous in the country at the time, look at all the familiar French names: Belmondo, Delon, Cassel, Montand, Leslie Caron, & Trintignant. How could I not watch something w/ such a lineup? Sure, some of the names are glorified cameos but that also happened in other all-star films of the time. Admittedly, this was uneven & some of the segments in this near 3 hour epic either felt too long or perhaps weren't needed at all. That said, this was still pretty good in my eyes. Besides all the famous faces, there was the interesting subplot of the German general actually being a sympathetic figure in part, there's stirring moments in all those disparate French men (not to mention women) having to work together, the sacrifices, etc.

It does remind me to see more pictures of its type, whether or not they feature unexpected famous faces using destructive weapons.