The Last Lesson

1942
10m

IMDb RATING

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A 19th century French schoolmaster gives his last lesson before the occupying Germans take over the village and the school.A 19th century French schoolmaster gives his last lesson before the occupying Germans take over the village and the school.A 19th century French schoolmaster gives his last lesson before the occupying Germans take over the village and the school.

Director
- Allan Kenward
Writers
- Herman Boxer
- Alphonse Daudet
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.6/10

YOUR RATING

Director
- Allan Kenward
Writers
- Herman Boxer
- Alphonse Daudet
Stars

1User review

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos

Top cast4

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Mitchell Lewis

Victor

Paul Leyssac

Schoolmaster
(uncredited)

Richard Nichols

Young student
(uncredited)

William Roy

Francois
(uncredited)

Director
- Allan Kenward
Writers
- Herman Boxer
- Alphonse Daudet
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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9:57

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Charles Laughton was familiar with Alphonse Daudet's original story and director Rene Clair incorporated a scene reminiscent of "The Last Lesson" into RKO's THIS LAND IS MINE, released the same year as the MGM short.

User reviews1

Featured review

6/10

The Truth in their Thoughts

This MGM short is rarely seen. A scene very much like it was included in the feature THIS LAND IS MINE and this was allowed to fall into desuetude.

Although it nominally refers to the events following the Franco-Prussian War, when most of Alsace and Lorraine were ceded to Germany, this well-made propaganda short clearly refers to the conquest of France during the Second World War and ends with a quote from Victor Hugo and a rendition of the Marseillaise. The performances are simple and telling and must have brought a tear to the eye of its American audience -- even though Alsace and Lorraine were, contrary to what is implied in this short, German-speaking places with the French language pushed by legal dictate on the population.