The Silent Invasion

I would not have expected the B British film industry - especially the Danzigers with Max Varnel as director, the lousy Max Varnel - to produce such a film, speaking of the French resistance in a small French village. Maybe a Hollywood production, with great actors, but certainly not a British. It is not Jean-Pierre Melville's LE SILENCE DE LA MER nor L'ARMEE DES OMBRES, and seeing French folks speak english annoyed me more than reason; the same concerning the German officers. But the result is not so bad, not as bad as I expected actually. And it is written by Brian Clemens...I am not sure it was released in France, despite the plot, and that's the first time I see this film aired on a French movie channel, that doesn't surprise me, despite - again - the French resistance element. But it is strangely pretty much available on DVD from over the Channel. I would call this film not SILENT but STRANGE invasion - or INTRUSION - in the French history from the Bristish film industry.

This may be the worst movie dealing with the Occupation of my country in WW2 which has ever been made.So many implausibilities ,bad acting (particularly Petra Davies as the "heroine" ) ,poor plot and cheap low-budget production .

Everybody speaks English in this small village (the movie was made in 1962,all the same ,and at the time ,they knew what" interpreter" meant :the handsome officer -once again ,a very bland actor- ,an educated man majoring in medicine could have spoken French (English) ,albeit with a German accent ,but as for the others !and the French are all supposed to understand their conquerors!

Never,never in a month of Sundays ,French resistant fighters would have convened in a cafe ,openly and publicly to discuss plans :they were heroes in the shadows ,they had pseuds ,it was a secret network:because of informing which would run rampant,nobody knew who they were .These men and women had little victories but big defeats ,in the movie ,it's too good to be true.

And how dumb the officer must have been, not to see the connection between the attacks of the fighters and Maria's frequent visits to the Château he has commandeered (he may be a wine connaisseur "1929 is a good year for wine" ,but a military dunce).

One can save a good scene :the seventeen -year-old young man ,about to be shot,refuses to be blindfolded and ,for the last time,smiles at his sister.

I like war films (and spy films,crime films,Science Fiction)and usually find something to like in most films I see. I don't recall seeing this film before and bought the DVD when I saw it in the shop. But there is nothing to enjoy in this film,no good performances and a poor plot. The plot does not even make sense and it is so outstandingly low budget,it looks like it was made on the set of The Saint or something.

There are some great forgotten British war films,like THEY WERE NOT DIVIDED or SEA OF SAND but this one should be forgotten.