Les Violons du Bal

More personal memories of France under the German Occupation in World War II: the director Michel Drach (charmingly played by his son David) was, however, no Lucien Lacombe, ready to accommodate the conqueror, but a wide-eyed Jewish boy who, despite a spell in hiding with the family of a canny, treacherous peasant, was blessed with a handsome, wealthy mother and survived the war with his trusting nature still intact. Les Violons du Bal comprises episodes in Michel's escape to Switzerland, intercut with semi-humorous scenes of the still-trusting Drach (played as an adult by Trintignant) attempting to finance the film ('When are you shooting the sex scenes?' a fat, pin-headed producer enquires). Drach's earnest confusion about the sort of film he is making does not ultimately diminish these deeply-felt, nostalgic, and often affecting memories.