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Atlantic Wall

 Atlantic Wall
type
TVTItem
 Atlantic Wall
label
Atlantic Wall
 Atlantic Wall
page
AtlanticWall
 Atlantic Wall
comment
Le Mur de l'Atlantique (Atlantic Wall) is a 1970 French war comedy directed by Marcel Camus. It was the final film to star Bourvil, who passed away on 23 September 1970, three weeks before the French release. It also starred Peter McEnery, Jean Poiret, Sophie Desmarets, Terry-Thomas, Reinhardt Kolldehoff, Pino Caruso and William Mervyn.In 1943, the Avro Lancaster of Royal Air Force Bomber Command Lieutenant Jeff (McEnery) is shot down over Normandy, in occupied France. Jeff escapes the wreckage with German soldiers on his trail, and finds a hiding place (and love) thanks to Juliette (Sara Franchetti), the daughter of a restaurant-bar owner, Léon Duchemin (Bourvil).Due to the local Kommandanturnote (German army administration building during the Occupation) officers mistaking him for a house painter, Léon finds himself in possession of V1 missiles launching pads plans. Jeff decides to bring said plans to London with the help of a Resistance network, and Léon finds himself forced to follow Jeff to the United Kingdom due to an incoming German patrol.In London, Léon is interrogated, drafted and used against his will by the British military on the orders of Commander Perry (Terry-Thomas) and under the watchful eye of Jeff to prepare for a very special mission that will send him back to Normandy...The film is named after the extensive fortifications system Germans built along the coasts of Western Europe from 1942 to 1944.
 Atlantic Wall
fetched
2024-02-17T13:44:41Z
 Atlantic Wall
parsed
2024-02-17T13:44:41Z
 Atlantic Wall
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Dropped link to ChaseScene: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Atlantic Wall
processingComment
Dropped link to HistoricalDomainCharacter: Not a Feature - IGNORE
 Atlantic Wall
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DBTropes
 Atlantic Wall / int_18dd6739
type
Dressing as the Enemy
 Atlantic Wall / int_18dd6739
comment
Dressing as the Enemy: After the crash of his bomber, Jeff knocks a German Feldgendarm out and uses his uniform to disguise himself. He disguises himself as a German soldier again in the climax to set up the bomb to kill Rommel at the Kommandantur. In the climax, Armand borrows Jeff's German uniform just after picking him and Léon up following their escape of the mayhem at the Kommandantur, then uses it for a Bavarian Fire Drill Checkpoint Bluff at a roadblock to have the German soldiers of said roadblock shoot at the German motorcycle soldiers chasing them. It works very well since Armand perfectly speaks German, unlike Jeff.
 Atlantic Wall / int_18dd6739
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Atlantic Wall / int_18dd6739
 Atlantic Wall / int_1902e67d
type
I Am Very British
 Atlantic Wall / int_1902e67d
comment
I Am Very British: The British characters played by British actors speak French with a very thick (and posh) accent.
 Atlantic Wall / int_1902e67d
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Atlantic Wall / int_1902e67d
 Atlantic Wall / int_1c751b35
type
The Vicar
 Atlantic Wall / int_1c751b35
comment
The Vicar: Jeff's father is a bishop, played by William Mervyn, who portrayed a very similar character in All Gas and Gaiters.
 Atlantic Wall / int_1c751b35
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Atlantic Wall / int_1c751b35
 Atlantic Wall / int_1ec4523e
type
Checkpoint Bluff
 Atlantic Wall / int_1ec4523e
comment
Checkpoint Bluff: Armand borrows Jeff's German uniform just after picking him and Léon up following their escape of the mayhem at the Kommandantur, then uses it at a roadblock to have the German soldiers of said roadblock shoot at the German motorcycle soldiers chasing them and let them pass. It works very well since Armand perfectly speaks German.
 Atlantic Wall / int_1ec4523e
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Atlantic Wall / int_1ec4523e
 Atlantic Wall / int_1eed1d03
type
Anti-Air
 Atlantic Wall / int_1eed1d03
comment
Anti-Air: The German Flak shoots at the squadron of RAF Avro Lancasters at the beginning, and manages to damage Jeff's bomber enough to cause it to crash.
 Atlantic Wall / int_1eed1d03
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 Atlantic Wall / int_1eed1d03
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Atlantic Wall / int_1eed1d03
 Atlantic Wall / int_22cf536c
type
Chekhov's Gun
 Atlantic Wall / int_22cf536c
comment
Chekhov's Gun: Armand's stuffed antelope. Jeff bumps on it in the dark at the beginning and Léon asks what it is at some point. Léon later steals it and brings it to a shoemaking friend of his to turn it into a pair of shoes for Rommel's wife, which will prompt Rommel to go back to Germany.
 Atlantic Wall / int_22cf536c
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Atlantic Wall / int_22cf536c
 Atlantic Wall / int_295087bf
type
Non-Indicative Name
 Atlantic Wall / int_295087bf
comment
Non-Indicative Name: The eponymous Atlantic Wall (beach fortifications) built by the Germans in occupied France is actually never seen, not even the beach of Duchemin's coastal town. The only things that could more or less said to be part of it are the German Anti-Air batteries at the beginning.
 Atlantic Wall / int_295087bf
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Atlantic Wall / int_295087bf
 Atlantic Wall / int_34dd5f3
type
La Résistance
 Atlantic Wall / int_34dd5f3
comment
Armand (Jean Poiret) is a Resistance leader passing as a collaborateur.
 Atlantic Wall / int_34dd5f3
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Atlantic Wall / int_34dd5f3
 Atlantic Wall / int_375e702b
type
Brits Love Tea
 Atlantic Wall / int_375e702b
comment
Brits Love Tea: Commander Perry drinks tea while interrogating Léon and has some served to him. Léon inadvertently spills his cup, which prompts Perry to say:
 Atlantic Wall / int_375e702b
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Atlantic Wall / int_375e702b
 Atlantic Wall / int_43b154c9
type
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
 Atlantic Wall / int_43b154c9
comment
Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Some British characters are played by French actors, and it shows when they speak in the original version.
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Atlantic Wall / int_43b154c9
 Atlantic Wall / int_47fea76b
type
Butt-Monkey
 Atlantic Wall / int_47fea76b
comment
Butt-Monkey: Leutnant Heinrich Jakobus Steinbichler a.k.a. "Totor" always gets hit on the head, be it by someone or by falling objects.
 Atlantic Wall / int_47fea76b
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Atlantic Wall / int_47fea76b
 Atlantic Wall / int_4852f325
type
I Just Want to Be Normal
 Atlantic Wall / int_4852f325
comment
I Just Want to Be Normal: All Léon wanted was to live a normal life in his restaurant, with no involvement in the Resistance whatsoever. Fate decided otherwise.
 Atlantic Wall / int_4852f325
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Atlantic Wall / int_4852f325
 Atlantic Wall / int_4856ac40
type
Stock Footage
 Atlantic Wall / int_4856ac40
comment
Stock Footage: All of the war footage (the bombers and German Flak at the beginning and D-Day at the end) was taken from reels of Real Life World War II.
 Atlantic Wall / int_4856ac40
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Atlantic Wall / int_4856ac40
 Atlantic Wall / int_53f8ebb4
type
The Driver
 Atlantic Wall / int_53f8ebb4
comment
The Driver: A drunk Friedrich reveals to his friend Léon that he's become Erwin Rommel's personal driver.
 Atlantic Wall / int_53f8ebb4
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Atlantic Wall / int_53f8ebb4
 Atlantic Wall / int_62fd5552
type
Bavarian Fire Drill
 Atlantic Wall / int_62fd5552
comment
In the climax, Armand borrows Jeff's German uniform just after picking him and Léon up following their escape of the mayhem at the Kommandantur, then uses it for a Bavarian Fire Drill Checkpoint Bluff at a roadblock to have the German soldiers of said roadblock shoot at the German motorcycle soldiers chasing them. It works very well since Armand perfectly speaks German, unlike Jeff.
 Atlantic Wall / int_62fd5552
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 Atlantic Wall / int_62fd5552
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Atlantic Wall / int_62fd5552
 Atlantic Wall / int_6375f746
type
Drill Sergeant Nasty
 Atlantic Wall / int_6375f746
comment
Drill Sergeant Nasty: Once Léon is drafted in the British army, Jeff oversees his training, and never misses an occasion to make his life a hell doing so.
 Atlantic Wall / int_6375f746
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 Atlantic Wall / int_6375f746
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Atlantic Wall / int_6375f746
 Atlantic Wall / int_6b35bdff
type
Serious Business
 Atlantic Wall / int_6b35bdff
comment
Serious Business: Rugby is serious business for Jeff and his father. Jeff is hiding in occupied France because his plane was shot, but he insists that he must go back to England to play in a rugby match on the next Saturday, and his father either thinks he's dead or expects him to come back for that match.
 Atlantic Wall / int_6b35bdff
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Atlantic Wall / int_6b35bdff
 Atlantic Wall / int_6ec4232f
type
Casting Gag
 Atlantic Wall / int_6ec4232f
comment
Casting Gag: German actor Johannes "John" Eppler plays Erwin Rommel. Before he became an actor, Eppler was apparently a spy working for the real Rommel himself during World War II. He has been sent in Egypt as part of Operation Salaam.
 Atlantic Wall / int_6ec4232f
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Atlantic Wall / int_6ec4232f
 Atlantic Wall / int_7719cf90
type
It Began with a Twist of Fate
 Atlantic Wall / int_7719cf90
comment
It Began with a Twist of Fate: Léon goes to the house painter shop to find out the guy is sick. Then Germans arrive to seek the same guy and think Léon is the painter. Had he not been there, he would have remained a peaceful restaurant owner with no tale to tell. Even moreso once he's at the Kommandantur. The German officer who had him brought there puts the wallpaper samples over maps showing the sites of launching pads for V1 missiles, and something causes Léon to deliberately fold one of such maps into the samples. Once Jeff looks at it, it becomes clear it's of paramount importance that the Allies get them.
 Atlantic Wall / int_7719cf90
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Atlantic Wall / int_7719cf90
 Atlantic Wall / int_7a6840a1
type
Real Event, Fictional Cause
 Atlantic Wall / int_7a6840a1
comment
Real Event, Fictional Cause: Erwin Rommel did leave France just before D-Day and offered a pair of shoes to his wife, but the film provides a fictional reason that is, a French restaurant owner offering him the shoes to avoid assassinating him. There was no assassination attempt on Rommel immediately prior to D-Day.
 Atlantic Wall / int_7a6840a1
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Atlantic Wall / int_7a6840a1
 Atlantic Wall / int_7e6c0522
type
Off with His Head!
 Atlantic Wall / int_7e6c0522
comment
Off with His Head!: Commander Perry (Terry-Thomas) has the head of a dead German bomber pilot who parachuted in Yorkshire severed and brought to Léon in a hat box in order to cause him a psychological shock and make him talk.
 Atlantic Wall / int_7e6c0522
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Atlantic Wall / int_7e6c0522
 Atlantic Wall / int_85b3a814
type
Stuka Scream
 Atlantic Wall / int_85b3a814
comment
Stuka Scream: The squadron of Avro Lancasters makes that sound during the air raid at the beginning, despite the planes not being Ju 87 Stukas.
 Atlantic Wall / int_85b3a814
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1.0
 Atlantic Wall / int_85b3a814
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Atlantic Wall / int_85b3a814
 Atlantic Wall / int_950bbfa7
type
Take a Third Option
 Atlantic Wall / int_950bbfa7
comment
Take a Third Option: Léon is not keen on assassinating Rommel, but he doesn't run away from the mission either. He decides to offer Rommel a pair of women's shoes, which makes the Generalfeldmarschall go back to Germany for his wife's birthday, sending him far away from Normandy on the eve of D-Day.
 Atlantic Wall / int_950bbfa7
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Atlantic Wall / int_950bbfa7
 Atlantic Wall / int_997ce6ad
type
Boyfriend-Blocking Dad
 Atlantic Wall / int_997ce6ad
comment
Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Léon is initially very pissed when he comes back to his restaurant as he finds out his daughter Juliette is in love with Jeff and had a child with him. Upon joining Jeff in the prison where the Résistance-friendly cops put them as a cover for the secret operation, he starts punching him before the two calm down with some booze. Léon then ends up accepting the situation.
 Atlantic Wall / int_997ce6ad
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Atlantic Wall / int_997ce6ad
 Atlantic Wall / int_9a1d239e
type
Been There, Shaped History
 Atlantic Wall / int_9a1d239e
comment
Been There, Shaped History: Léon ends up being one of the (fictional) reasons Rommel left Normandy just before D-Day, offering shoes to the field marshall for his wife's birthday.
 Atlantic Wall / int_9a1d239e
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Atlantic Wall / int_9a1d239e
 Atlantic Wall / int_ab7b9269
type
You All Meet in an Inn
 Atlantic Wall / int_ab7b9269
comment
You All Meet in an Inn: The early part of the film happens inside Léon's restaurant. His various customers are German soldiers, Resistants and Black Market traffickers.
 Atlantic Wall / int_ab7b9269
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 Atlantic Wall / int_ab7b9269
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Atlantic Wall / int_ab7b9269
 Atlantic Wall / int_c2ab0eaf
type
Double Agent
 Atlantic Wall / int_c2ab0eaf
comment
Double Agent: Armand (Jean Poiret) is a Resistance leader passing as a collaborateur. Léon is used as one after he's parachuted back in France, as he knows the Kommandantur Rommel is about to visit, having been there earlier.
 Atlantic Wall / int_c2ab0eaf
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 Atlantic Wall / int_c2ab0eaf
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Atlantic Wall / int_c2ab0eaf
 Atlantic Wall / int_d074c3a2
type
Coming in Hot
 Atlantic Wall / int_d074c3a2
comment
Coming in Hot: The Avro Lancaster of Jeff is shot down by the German Flak and he pulls off a crash-landing.
 Atlantic Wall / int_d074c3a2
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 Atlantic Wall / int_d074c3a2
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Atlantic Wall / int_d074c3a2
 Atlantic Wall / int_d5a1770a
type
British Stuffiness
 Atlantic Wall / int_d5a1770a
comment
British Stuffiness: While Jeff is stranded in occupied France, his father is seen discussing with his RAF superior. Without any emotion, he says his son might be dead... or that he will be back on the next Saturday for a rugby match at Twickenham (most obviously counting on that latter option).
 Atlantic Wall / int_d5a1770a
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Atlantic Wall / int_d5a1770a
 Atlantic Wall / int_d66cd0e6
type
Training from Hell
 Atlantic Wall / int_d66cd0e6
comment
Training from Hell: Léon's training in England includes crawling in the mud and leaping into the void.
 Atlantic Wall / int_d66cd0e6
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 Atlantic Wall / int_d66cd0e6
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Atlantic Wall / int_d66cd0e6
 Atlantic Wall / int_da57ab3c
type
Unlikely Hero
 Atlantic Wall / int_da57ab3c
comment
Unlikely Hero: Léon, an average Frenchman who would rather avoid troubles and finds himself thrusted into the bigger picture of World War II.
 Atlantic Wall / int_da57ab3c
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 Atlantic Wall / int_da57ab3c
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Atlantic Wall / int_da57ab3c
 Atlantic Wall / int_db7efdaf
type
Adolf Hitlarious
 Atlantic Wall / int_db7efdaf
comment
Adolf Hitlarious: While Adolf Hitler doesn't appear in the film, two portraits of him are featured in the climax (and they are used for humorous effects). The first one is at the Kommandantur. Jeff (in German soldier disguise) straps a bomb to a second one and brings it to the Kommandantur to replace the first, with the intention of assassinating Erwin Rommel. Of course, every German soldier who looks at the portrait raises the arm as Jeff passes by with it. Jeff ends up using the first portrait to knock a soldier out in order to steal his side-car and escape with Léon.
 Atlantic Wall / int_db7efdaf
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 Atlantic Wall / int_db7efdaf
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Atlantic Wall / int_db7efdaf
 Atlantic Wall / int_f4f3252e
type
Law of Inverse Fertility
 Atlantic Wall / int_f4f3252e
comment
Law of Inverse Fertility: Jeff and Juliette sleep together only once and Juliette gets pregnant.
 Atlantic Wall / int_f4f3252e
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 Atlantic Wall / int_f4f3252e
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Atlantic Wall / int_f4f3252e
 Atlantic Wall / int_f818b637
type
Dude, Where's My Respect?
 Atlantic Wall / int_f818b637
comment
Dude, Where's My Respect?: Once he brings the German miracle weapons plans to the British military in London, Léon expects to be "awarded the Victoria Cross, at least"... Except they suspect him of being part of a German counterintelligence operation, and treat him as such, and later put him through a Training from Hell.
 Atlantic Wall / int_f818b637
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Atlantic Wall / int_f818b637
 Atlantic Wall / int_f935efbf
type
Unnecessary Roughness
 Atlantic Wall / int_f935efbf
comment
Unnecessary Roughness: Jeff practices rugby, and it is Serious Business for him and his father. Prior to the film, he ended up in a fist fight with the referee (who is also his superior in the Royal Air Force) because said referee refused to validate a legit try he scored.
 Atlantic Wall / int_f935efbf
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Atlantic Wall / int_f935efbf
 Atlantic Wall / int_f9f2c33
type
Running Gag
 Atlantic Wall / int_f9f2c33
comment
Running Gag: Leutnant Steinbichler (who Armand nicknames "Totor") gets hit several times on the head.
 Atlantic Wall / int_f9f2c33
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Atlantic Wall / int_f9f2c33
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Atlantic Wall

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Atlantic Wall
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Comedy / int_6a20fcac
 Atlantic Wall
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Stuka Scream / int_6a20fcac