Having just finished shooting, the film by László Nemes (winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2015 and the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2016 for his film Le Fils de Saul) is already causing quite a stir. And it’s easy to see why! When you’re tackling a monument of our history and the film is championed by an actor-director tandem at the top of their game, you can’t help but get excited. While Gilles Lellouche stars in this film retracing the life of Jean Moulin, let’s not forget that Lyon played a decisive role, notably through its position in the Free Zone during the war. Let’s rewind the story…
Jean Moulin and Lyon
Born in Béziers, Jean Moulin joined the Free French movement in London in September 1941, after drawing up a census of resistance movements following the German invasion. De Gaulle sent him to Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or in the free zone , then to Lyon (the largest city in the free zone) to form the Conseil National de la Résistance.
For almost two years, many decisions were taken in the cellars and underground passages of Lyon, where the traboules played a crucial role in hiding from the Germans and exchanging secret documents. We know, for example, that Jean Moulin had an office in Rue Victor Hugo, with no fewer than three exits. Despite maximum vigilance, Moulin’s work became increasingly difficult, with both the Vichy regime and the Gestapo hot on his heels. He was arrested in Caluire-et-Cuire on June 21, 1943 and imprisoned in Montluc prison, before being taken to Gestapo headquarters in Lyon, where he was interrogated and subjected to the worst tortures under the orders of a certain Klaus Barbie…
An extraordinary destiny brought to the big screen
Great names in history, great figures in the 7th art. Gilles Lellouche will play the lead role, directed by Hungarian filmmaker László Nemes. The bulk of the film will retrace Moulin’s “Lyonnais years”, ending with his confrontation with the appalling Klaus Barbie, which promises to be as chilling as it is thrilling on the big screen… Filming is now complete, and we’ll have to wait a little longer before rushing to theaters on October 28.
Although not originally from Lyon, Jean Moulin occupies an important place in the capital of Gaul. Today, schools, museums and streets bear his name, and this new tribute – and a cinematic one at that – should once again touch the hearts of the Lyonnais.