Welcome to Part VIII of Theatre in Film, our weekly feature on a film that depicts a life in the theatre. In Part VIII, we feature films where characters in the theatre must overcome a struggle in their personal lives while also managing the world of performance. This week, we feature the 1980 French film The Last Metro (Le Dernier Métro), a film that tells the story of a Christian woman who hides her Jewish husband in the basement of the theatre during the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1942.

The Last Metro (1980)

Director: François Truffaut
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Heinz Bennent, Jean Poiret, and Jean-Louis Richard

What happens:

During the German occupation of Paris in World War II, Jewish theatre director, Lucas Steiner (Heinz Bennent), and his Christian wife, Marion Steiner (Catherine Deneuve), operate a theatre under the pretense that the theatre does not allow Jewish artists to work within its walls. The catch? Lucas must live and work entirely underground beneath the theatre. Marion struggles to keep Lucas hidden from the Nazi soldiers and the Gestapo, all the while telling everyone that he has fled France. Lucas, however, has been secretly directing the play through a proxy director, Jean-Loup Cottins (Jean Poiret).

When Bernard Granger (Gérard Depardieu), a local actor who happens to be Christian, is cast in the theatre’s new production, he begins a small affair with Marion. Marion tries to maintain her love for her husband, but flounders as Bernard, who does not know about Lucas, insists on wooing her. During rehearsals, the couple grows closer and intensifies to a point where Lucas cannot stand to be underneath the theatre, watching them, for any longer. He leaves and is captured. Fortunately, the end of the war is not far off, and he is returned to Paris and his theatre, and Marion severs her relationship with Bernard, continuing her work as an actress on the stage.

Why it matters:

The Last Metro isn’t a grand sweeping tale of escaping capture by the Nazis. It’s not an action-adventure film with an outstanding score punctuated by guns a-blazing and Indiana Jones-esque treasure hunts. It’s a quaint portrait of a theatre family trying to live normal lives despite the rampant persecution of Jews in France, and it’s familiar in its quaintness — small vignettes framing compassionate exchanges, passionate relationships, and jarring arguments comprise the narrative of Marion’s survival as an actress-turned-business woman in Nazi Germany.

The most prominent element in Truffaut’s film is the human element, not the militaristic identity of the imposing Nazi party. Marion, Lucas, Bernard, and Jean-Loup operate as vulnerable human beings, falling prey to temptations, using humor to comfort one another, and sharing personal memories. It’s these things that shape their lives and personalities rather than the current unfortunate predicament they find themselves in.

Additionally, Marion is a sympathetic soul. She must be to hide her Jewish husband and risk her life for his safety, even after he comes after her for flirting with Bernard — and then falls down the stairs of the basement. Following his fall, she puts him to bed and feeds him soup and tea, understanding that his outburst was probably caused by the stress of being locked downstairs for over a year. She even invites a young Jewish girl into the theatre to drop off sewing samples after she learns that the girl wants to sew costumes for the theatre. Marion invites the girl to come back, fully knowing that if the theatre is inspected and is caught with Jews working within its walls, Marion and the rest of her staff could be arrested and the theatre shut down. Just like To Be Or Not To Be, The Last Metro shows us that the theatre has always been a haven for those who are persecuted.

This film is the third film in Part VIII. See below for the other films in Part VIII.

• Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
• A Life in the Theatre (1993)
• Opening Night (2016) (Coming soon.)
• The Tall Guy (1989) (Coming soon.)

Want to start with Part I? Begin with 42nd Street (1933).
Miss Part II? Check out The Band Wagon (1953).
Need a refresh for Part III? Start with our feature on All That Jazz (1979).
How about a recap from Part IV? Jump into A Chorus of Disapproval (1989).
Check out Part V, and start with An Awfully Big Adventure (1995).
Start reading Part VI with Camp (2003).