Is Paris Burning?

Released Nov 10, 1966

2 hr. 53 min.

War

List

75%

8 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Near the end of World War II, Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz (Jean-Paul Belmondo) receives orders to burn down Paris if it becomes clear the Allies are going to invade, or if he cannot maintain control of the city. After much contemplation Choltitz decides to ignore his orders, enraging the Germans and giving hope to various resistance factions that the city will be liberated. Choltitz, along with Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling (Leslie Caron), helps a resistance leader (Alain Delon) organize his forces.

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Steve D

Too long and all over the place but not without its successes.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/27/23

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Audience Member

A messy clash of styles, badly dubbed and a glorified view of the liberation of Paris.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

I actually didn't think it was "trying to be epic". It was pretty simple and realistic to me. I assume because of the book the movie is very technical, but I liked it. Another side, another cinematic history lesson. Great actors. Good movie. One thing though. If you buy the DVD, look for the original one. I got a dubbed one and it totally ruins the mood for me. There's no passion, no emotions when it's dubbed. I can read dammit. Why force the dubbed version? Hope you can find the original somewhere.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Audience Member

This probably works better if you were raised knowing exactly what happened here. I read the book this was based on years ago and I had trouble following it. That's largely because there's no real narrative behind it, just a series of events happening at once. The closest thing to a central arc is Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger)'s Choltitz and his gradual decision to disobey Hitler's orders and not burn Paris. This could have been focused on more or they could have given the resistance fighters more of an individual focus. The last half of the film is especially odd since it features a long march into Paris which doesn't feature much fighting in the end. Mostly they get there and party. Which is exactly what I'd do, but it doesn't make for exciting cinema. Some of the large scale scenes in Paris were impressive though, and unlike anything I've seen before. They also have a few bizarre casting choices, such as Kirk Douglas for General Patton. When they revealed who he was supposed to be I couldn't help laughing.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Audience Member

not so much WWII pic post WWII

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

Nominated for 2 Academy Awards. A significant departure from the usual Hollywood style, this French (Paramount) film has substance (grit). You know right away that the Germans plan to destroy the city despite its non-strategic value. In black and white, it continues from the opening footage of WWII Paris. You will recognize soon that Gert Fröbe (from the James Bond "Goldfinger") plays the role of the new German general assigned by Hitler himself to destroy Paris. [img]http://static.programmes-cinema.com/photos/37/143873.jpg[/img] Is Paris Burning? is a 1966 film, starring an ensemble cast, about the 1944 liberation of Paris by the French Resistance and the Free French Forces during World War II. [img]https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ3TjO8WtOAMV7K9jFl05ePF8XizXUn-QjxphXld-w9tyfkp_0M[/img] The new general arrives in Paris There is a barely human portrayl of the typical German staff when they find out the destruction of the city is imminent. Of course the portrayl is not the stereotypical one, i.e. the propaganda one you would expect. [img]https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQ8GYUhubOZx0v-_qMgEkp74W-i3SkZI8EwAt-L6auTcpc1LrG[/img] Actually, the newly assigned general obeys (but later disobey's) and his subordinate is baffled by the destruction they plan for the city. NOT because it's wrong, immoral or inhumane, but because there is no strategic value to doing so. [img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_94wGm5Prdv0/SfNqkz0-6mI/AAAAAAAACcE/TUFABoOfMII/s400/Leslie+Caron,+Orson+Welles+is-paris-burning-26-10-1966-86-g.jpg[/img] Orson Welles So I guess these guys are "beasts" after all. At any rate, Hitler is so upset with the city he orders it destroyed to deny the Allies the satisfaction of recapturing it. So Hitler didn't feel Paris was his beloved city either. (Paris wasn't particularly my beloved city either in "Casablanca" for reasons purely romantic.) The title, Is Paris Burning?, is a reference to a phone call late in the film from German High Command to Paris to ask "is Paris burning?", anticipating orders were obeyed. Music soundtrack by legend Maurice Jarre (Lawrence of Arabia). SEE the entire film (with Japanese subtitles no less) as that's the only complete version I could find: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chOURTnEz1U [img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/02/Paris1324.jpg/220px-Paris1324.jpg[/img] REVIEWS by the unpaid: 80% IS PARIS BURNING? (1966) 70% Kind of Propaganda-y The history of Paris in World War II is not half so simple as this film would have you believe. 50% It's a shame that a version of "Is Paris Burning?" with the original multi-language soundtrack isn't available in one form or another. NOTES for the noteworthy: 1 The film is based on the best-selling book by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre and was directed by René Clément, from a screenplay by Gore Vidal and Francis Ford Coppola. 2 The film was shot in black and white primarily because, although the French authorities would allow swastika flags to be displayed on public buildings for key shots, they would not permit those flags to be in their original red color; they were made in green for the film. 3 The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Art Direction (Willy Holt, Marc Frédérix,Pierre Guffroy) Best Cinematography (Marcel Grignon) 4 After learning that the Germans plan to destroy Paris (the Eiffel Tower and other landmarks are rigged with explosives), a messenger from the Resistance is sent across enemy lines to contact the Americans. CAST Alain Delon as Jacques Chaban-Delmas Jean-Paul Belmondo as Morandat/Pierrelot Charles Boyer as Monod Gert Fröbe as Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz Leslie Caron as Françoise Labe George Chakiris as G.I. in tank Jean-Pierre Cassel as Lt. Henri Karcher Anthony Perkins as Sgt. Warren Kirk Douglas as Gen. George Patton Simone Signoret as Cafe proprietress Orson Welles as Consul Raoul Nordling Glenn Ford as Gen. Omar Bradley Yves Montand as Marcel Bizien Robert Stack as Gen. Edwin Sibert Marie Versini as Claire Morandat Skip Ward as GI with Warren Bruno Cremer as Col. Henri Rol-Tanguy Claude Dauphin as Colonel Lebel Pierre Dux as Parodi/Cerat Daniel Gélin as Yves Bayet Michel Piccoli as Edgard Pisani Sacha Pitoëff as Frédéric Joliot-Curie Claude Rich as Gen. Jacques Leclerc Directed by René Clément Produced by Paul Graetz Written by Gore Vidal Francis Ford Coppola Starring Kirk Douglas Glenn Ford Gert Fröbe Yves Montand Jean-Paul Belmondo Robert Stack Alain Delon Music by Maurice Jarre Cinematography Marcel Grignon Editing by Robert Lawrence Distributed by Paramount Pictures Release date(s) 26 October 1966 (France) 10 November 1966 (United States) Running time 173 minutes Country France Language French [img]http://annyas.com/screenshots/images/1966/is-paris-burning-title-screen.jpg[/img]

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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René Clément

Director

Jean-Paul Belmondo

Pierrelot-Yvon Morandat

Charles Boyer

Docteur Monod

Leslie Caron

Françoise Labé

Jean-Pierre Cassel

Lieutenant Henri Karcher

George Chakiris

GI in Tank

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Rudie Obias

Battleship Pretension

With so many plotlines and characters, it’s almost a marvel that the result is a well-paced and engaging epic that’s surprisingly raw and funny at the same time.

Aug 15, 2023

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Alberto Abuín

Espinof

It's touching in the deepest with those final sequences, in which the narrative time seems stretched millimetrically. [Full Review in Spanish]

Sep 4, 2019

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Jun 16, 2005

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Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Rated: 3/5

Mar 28, 2005

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Victoria Alexander

FilmsInReview.com

Belmondo in anything!

Rated: 4/5

Jan 21, 2004

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Tony Mastroianni

Cleveland Press

The real star of Is Paris Burning? is the city of Paris itself. Its other performers are miscast, the film's direction is uneven, its development is confused.

Nov 20, 2003

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Synopsis

Near the end of World War II, Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz (Jean-Paul Belmondo) receives orders to burn down Paris if it becomes clear the Allies are going to invade, or if he cannot maintain control of the city. After much contemplation Choltitz decides to ignore his orders, enraging the Germans and giving hope to various resistance factions that the city will be liberated. Choltitz, along with Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling (Leslie Caron), helps a resistance leader (Alain Delon) organize his forces.

Director: René Clément
Screenwriter: Gore Vidal, Francis Ford Coppola
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Marianne Productions, Transcontinental Films
Genre: War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 10, 1966, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2014

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