This is a subject that deserved to be filmed:at the beginning of WW2,German political (or else)refugees came to France :there were artists (Max Ernst) ,a football champion,dwarves,Jews or soldiers who had refused to fight for Hitler.They arrived in the south of France where they thought they would be safe.The French had to improvise a camp,and the refugees to muck in:building latrines was not the least problem.But pretty soon,France was invaded by Hitler's armies and French officer(Philippe Noiret) decided to hand them over to their "compatriots".But his subordinate (Jean-Pierre Marielle) ,a resistant from the very beginning, requisitioned a train to take them to Spain.
Jean -Pierre Marielle plays a convincing colorful officer with a big heart;Philippe Noiret in a very short part of a couldn't -care -less type,recalls the one he played in "il deserto dei Tartari" (1976).The directing is OK but hesitates between comedy (no to say farce) and drama.Besides,this situation was tailor-made to show the absurdity of war,and the scenarists do nor rise above the anecdotal.One can dream of what a Dino Risi or an Ettore Scola -it was a subject for an Italian director- would have made of it.
Nevertheless, it's worth a watch.
