Just 20 years ago, a film was partly filmed in Barlin. A film and what a film! Merry Christmasa European blockbuster with a five-star cast (including Diane Kruger, Guillaume Canet, Daniel Brühl and Dany Boon…) and a moving story, that of a truce during the Great War. A little-known moment of fraternization, of humanity, of peace, between enemies, in the winter of 1914, in the middle of the trenches, in the snow. The film marked its era, the spirits, the region, to the point of erecting a monument to forever remember this story in Neuville-Saint-Vaast.
Today, we know the resounding success of the feature film. But at the time, when the cameras arrived in Barlin after traveling through Romania, Germany and Scotland, we only knew the big names in the credits of a film that was billed as “ as big as Germinal ».
In the archives
In the newspaper of November 2, 2004, we titled “Barlin in the credits”. We then explained that the director Christian Carion (originally from Bapaume, known for A Swallow made spring at the time) was going to arrive with his team of 100 people at the Château de Brias (between Bruay-La-Buissière and Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise) and at the Dumas center, the former Barlin music school. Two sites not very far apart, which suits everyone. The town of Barlin knew since last spring that it had been selected from 200 sites in the region for the filming of a scene. In a few months, the disused building was rehabilitated to become a setting: a classroom from the winter of 1914. A daring choice because it was impractical: “ for technical reasons, the room had to be located on the ground floor. At the Barlin school, the selected class is on the first floor and a system of pods will recreate the impression on one level. A large infrastructure », We could read in the article.
In the newspaper of November 3, 2004, impatience and excitement were growing: “Dany Boon expected today” was the headline. The decor was in place: desks, inkwells, old world map, blackboard… “ We want to show that the war arrived suddenly in the middle of class. The teacher’s inscriptions remained on the board », Confided a representative of Nord-Ouest production. The hundred film crew, including around forty northerners, are there. Dany Boon is expected to join Guillaume Canet on site.
In the newspaper of November 4, 2004, engine! Filming, at night, had begun. First shots on Wednesday, November 3. and others planned again on Tuesday, November 9. Signing session around the site. The fans of Dany Boon, already the star comedian of Ch’tis with his fricadelle and his windbreaker, are there. But he plays a sensitive role there, that of Ponchel, a young, naive Lensois hairdresser sent to the front, far from his mother. “ It’s a very moving role, which particularly touches me. I grew up with the story of my great-grandfather, wounded at the front among the Zouaves. I kind of feel like I’m playing his role. », he told us at the time, during a press conference at the Georges-Brassens room.
And after?
And then, the cameras and film crew left. Leaving the elements of the decor as a gift to the commune. The film was released in theaters more than a year later, on November 9, 2005. It was a resounding success. Very good reviews. It was presented at the Cannes Film Festival and was in the running for the 2006 Oscars.
Very quickly, the decor changed. The Dumas center became the town’s police station. “ The room used for filming has given way to the office of the police district commander », Indicates the current mayor of Barlin, Julien Dagbert. Walls that have quite a history.
Walls which therefore hosted the key scene of a very lively discussion between Guillaume Canet (Lieutenant Audebert) and his father, played by Bernard le Cocq. The latter, a general in the army, does not understand how his son could fraternize with the enemy. Act of humanity or high treachery? It makes you want to watch the film again, right? What if we had a movie night?
