Just started watching this on BBC2. Looks quite interesting, the Germans have just moved into the French town with some pretty good replica Panzer IIIs . BBC Two - Suite Francaise
I bought the book when it was first published (?2006?)- a very good read. Review: Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky
One thing I couldn't quite understand was the Germans speaking German and the French speaking English So I read: Suite Française (film) - Wikipedia To see if we (UK) get screened a version with predominantly English translation, whereas in France and Belgium they show a "dubbed" version where the French speak French? Country United Kingdom France Belgium Language English German Suite française (Némirovsky novel) - Wikipedia
Watched it with my 2 teenage sons. We did think the Germans were as good shots as the stormtroopers in Star Wars.
I switched over rather late and decided not to follow it..... some other time perhaps but immediately after first few frames I recognised the well trod theme of the story of fraternisation with occupying troops. Others situations such as POW wives in tow with German occupying forces.POW returned to France and the POW wife's lover denouncing the POW as a resistant in order that the affair should continue unabated is another.All reflecting what really happened in the dark days of occupation. The other point as occurs with occupation troops was that the Germans fathered many during the occupation.I remember seeing an estimate but it has since slipped my mind. Incidentally was the "town" mentioned?
Re. the "town" Suite française (Némirovsky novel) - Wikipedia ...has "shows life in a small French country town, Bussy (in the suburbs just east of Paris), in the first, strangely peaceful, months of the German occupation." Perhaps? Bussy-Saint-Georges - Wikipedia All of "English" in it left me with the impression it could "just" have been the Channel Islands though. Not having the French actually speak French in France, whilst nevertheless using German with subtitles for the occupying troops I suppose, was perhaps a commercial choice? - made for the - "ignorant" ;-) "English speaking audience" - though it couldn't have been for the avoidance of "subtitles" - given the German, I suppose the German speech was just to make the occupying forces seem more alien and obtrusive, but given that perhaps some proportion of 1940's French people could speak German its affect would not have been quite like that, though I'm not sure what % of the French in a suburb just to the east of Paris in the 1940's would have spoken some German, I suppose it was considerably greater in 1945 than it was in 1940. Kristin Scott Thomas - Wikipedia At least "Speaking French fluently" - I wondered what she's had to say about her "English speaking part" ;-) Ps... I just assumed from the title - Suite française (French pronunciation: [sɥit fʁɑ̃sɛz], "French Suite"), initially, that there would be "French spoke" ;-) - I wasn't sure, initially, but was wondering what the "French Suite" title ref'd "The title ... intentionally recalls musical terminology, dolce means "sweet" or "soft" in musicians' Italian. This title is truthful but also ironic, since bitterness exist under the surface and a far less peaceful sequel was to follow." and "she treasures the memory of his music score Suite Française"