IMDb RATING
7.2/10
695
YOUR RATING
The story concerns an old globe-maker who is mysteriously killed while going through the town portraying Pere Noel ("Father Christmas" aka Santa Claus).The story concerns an old globe-maker who is mysteriously killed while going through the town portraying Pere Noel ("Father Christmas" aka Santa Claus).The story concerns an old globe-maker who is mysteriously killed while going through the town portraying Pere Noel ("Father Christmas" aka Santa Claus).
Robert Le Vigan
- Léon Villard - le maître d'école
- (as Le Vigan)
Jean Parédès
- Kappel, - le sacristain
- (as Jean Paredes)
Héléna Manson
- Marie Coquillot
- (as Helena Manson)
Bernard Blier
- Le brigadier de gendarmerie
- (uncredited)
Jean-Marie Boyer
- Un gosse
- (uncredited)
Jean Buquet
- Un gosse
- (uncredited)
Georges Chamarat
- Valcourt - le garde-champêtre
- (uncredited)
Lucien Coëdel
- Desfosses
- (uncredited)
Bernard Daydé
- Christian Coquillot
- (uncredited)
Arthur Devère
- Tairraz - l'horloger
- (uncredited)
Mona Dol
- Madame Tairraz - la femme de l'horloger
- (uncredited)
Michel François
- Pierre
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWas the first film produced by Continental Films, the infamous French production company financed by the Germans.
- Quotes
La mère Michel: Everyone, everyday, loses a piece of life.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Safe Conduct (2002)
- SoundtracksC'est la mère Michel
Featured review
A Rare, remarkable, and controversial film from occupied France
This was the first film that the Nazis allowed to be made in France after the occupation and installation of the Vichy government. Many denounced its director as a collaborator because he made a film sanctioned by the Nazis. But to the discerning eye, this unusual film does anything but cooperate with the enemy.
In its fairy-tale setting, the various characters appear as symbols in a constantly shifting allegory of good and evil. The literal-minded Nazi censors apparently didn't get the message, because any particular character might appear in one scene as a symbol of the collaborators, and in the next as a loyalist and supporter of resistance. Even as the symbolic alignments shifted too rapidly for the Nazis to detect them (much the way resistance fighters themselves often had to) the message of hope and patriotism and faith remained quite clear.
The story concerns an old globe-maker who is mysteriously killed while going through the town portraying Pere Noel ("Father Christmas" aka Santa Claus). The unraveling of the mystery is entwined with a love story concerning an aloof nobleman who might be a scoundrel, or might be Prince Charming. But the story is little more than a pretext for the message and the pervasive sense of magic that the film weaves.;
Of special note is the performance of Harry Baur, the famous Yiddish actor, as the Globemaker. His subtly Jewish Santa Claus is, in and of itself, a bold act of resistance. This was the next to last film Baur made. He was soon taken prison by the Nazis and reportedly died at the hands of the Gestapo.
I saw this film in 1980 when the Cinematheque Francaise sent a huge program of films to Los Angeles in collaboration with UCLA and The L.A. County Museum of Art. I do not know of it being shown in this country since. I have heard of an untranslated VHS of it being in existence, but I have been unable to find it. Do not miss this film if you are afforded a chance to see it.
In its fairy-tale setting, the various characters appear as symbols in a constantly shifting allegory of good and evil. The literal-minded Nazi censors apparently didn't get the message, because any particular character might appear in one scene as a symbol of the collaborators, and in the next as a loyalist and supporter of resistance. Even as the symbolic alignments shifted too rapidly for the Nazis to detect them (much the way resistance fighters themselves often had to) the message of hope and patriotism and faith remained quite clear.
The story concerns an old globe-maker who is mysteriously killed while going through the town portraying Pere Noel ("Father Christmas" aka Santa Claus). The unraveling of the mystery is entwined with a love story concerning an aloof nobleman who might be a scoundrel, or might be Prince Charming. But the story is little more than a pretext for the message and the pervasive sense of magic that the film weaves.;
Of special note is the performance of Harry Baur, the famous Yiddish actor, as the Globemaker. His subtly Jewish Santa Claus is, in and of itself, a bold act of resistance. This was the next to last film Baur made. He was soon taken prison by the Nazis and reportedly died at the hands of the Gestapo.
I saw this film in 1980 when the Cinematheque Francaise sent a huge program of films to Los Angeles in collaboration with UCLA and The L.A. County Museum of Art. I do not know of it being shown in this country since. I have heard of an untranslated VHS of it being in existence, but I have been unable to find it. Do not miss this film if you are afforded a chance to see it.
helpful•192
- metaphor-2
- Dec 25, 2000
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Ko je ubio deda mraza
- Filming locations
- Argentière, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Haute-Savoie, France(mountain village)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
Top Gap
By what name was Who Killed Santa Claus? (1941) officially released in India in English?
Answer