Original subtitles

Good morning.

Well, Guy... How have your marks been lately?

- Not so good, Father. - Aren't you ashamed?

- Not very. - Your father was an excellent student.

Off you go!.

At least work on your catechism.

- Father... - Yes?

Sorry to bother you...

- ...but there was a hotel here and the owner...

He was a large gentleman. Old Joseph.

- Yes. - But he's dead.

The hotel's been gone for 15 years.

Since the end of the war.

It's exactly 15 years since I was last here.

Things have changed.

We've rebuilt what was destroyed.

I was evacuated before the bombardment.

- You lived here? - Yes. During the war.

Oh, I see.

I wanted to see the places again, where I'd fought.

Or rather, that I'd...

What's your word? "Occupied"?

- Yes, we say "occupied".

Please forgive me...

I can see that this was a time...

...that you's much rather forget.

Forgive me father.

Goodbye.

Forget! If only it were that easy.

How nice it would be to forget.

Alas, too many events left their mark on us.

Too much grief.

Too many tears.

How could we forget the sound of marching boots?

They too have certainly not forgotten.

Mrs Armande... Her shop requisitioned...

...her husband deported.

Hello father!

Vincent and Fontaine. Fontaine never got to matriculate.

He joined the Resistance. One of the few to return.

I can remember those boys as if it were yesterday.

Poor kids in wooden shoes... I knew them all.

Even those who shunned their catechism.

What would be the fate of Jean-Louis Mesnier...

Olivier Guerbois...

...even de Robert Borelli?

Robert... seemingly the least studious, and least sensitive.

And yet...

For the package being sent to my brother...

Good thing my uncle is a grocer.

- Hi! - Hi!

- Can you spare me one? - Not in a million years.

Just a puff, then!

They cost me 6 months of jam coupons.

- When's the occupation going to end? - Is it getting you down?

It's no fun having to smoke your butts.

- They say it'll be for a long time. - They have to say SOMETHING.

You coming to hear the latest Django?

- I should be doing my essay. - You're crazy.

You're gonna fail the exam.

As long as you're in school, you won't be sent to Germany.

- What's the record called? - "Clouds".

Come on.

- Good evening. - Well, here come the labourers!

- Robert? - Yes, Dad?

Don't forget to take those bottles over to Mrs Lacroix.

- Peanut oil? - Olive oil from Nice.

There's this undertaker guy who brings it in his hearse.

- Can I get a bottle? - If 500 francs doesn't bother you.

That's the boys!

I prefer swing. They're still kids.

Olivier was a kid, too.

Only, he couldn't get accustomed to that era.

Hello sweetheart.

- Hi, Mum. - Will you join us for afternoon tea?

I've got to prepare for a term test.

Come and say hello to the Froment ladies.

- I'll just say goodbye to them. - Sophie's with them.

He has a term test in the morning!

I noticed him at mass on Sunday.

He looked rather pale.

You know, I just can't persuade him to get out and enjoy himself.

The Ménard boys invited him to play tennis...

...but he just stuck with his books...

That's right, Sophie, go and feed up our swot!

Such a nice girl!

Have you got the sulks?

It's just 2 months to the finals.

When we were little, of a Thursday, this spot was ours.

Do you remember?

You only ever wanted to play war games...

...that you were sure to win.

It would've been strange to want to lose.

- But here, nothing's changed. - It's true. Nothing has changed.

A day for laundry and a day for tea with the Froments.

- The world keeps spinning around. - Might be better if it didn't.

- Why are you in a bad mood? - I'm not in a bad mood.

I just have a very uncomfortable feeling.

Don't you see, Sophie?

That line, which runs around Europe...

...that's the front.

There are guys battling in Africa and Russia.

At Kharkov, and there in Tunisia.

And all this time, here am I sitting quietly.

As if it were only their war, and not mine.

Jean-Louis was unhappy too.

Unhappy at having to hide his joy.

- Well? - Not a soul.

-Oh, we're so high up!

Are you sure nobody could come?

Never.

I checked it out.

Before the war, it was a mill.

The owner moved south.

Anyway, there's nothing to grind now.

- Kiss me. - No. That's all you think about.

- Don't you ever think about it. - Yes, of course, but...

When a girl does the kissing, it looks really wrong.

Nobody's watching... We're alone.

It's like we were in our own home.

Can you see us living together some day?

I can't talk about that, while Dad is a prisoner.

We can dream.

- It's a shame. - What?

- That we weren't born 10 years earlier. - I wouldn't say that.

When my parents talk about the past, all they remember are the big feasts.

There's more to life than that.

- What did your father do at your age? - He wanted to study law.

He couldn't, because of the war... The last one.

The way things are going, it'll be more of the same for me.

It'll become a family tradition...

Spending your time not becoming a lawyer.

It's so high!

We could play cops and robbers.

- Why haven't we done like Olivier? - What?

He says that we must act against the Krauts.

You think that's easy?

I think like him.

- You want to become Joan of Arc? - Why not?

- You hear the voices? - I hear Olivier's.

- If you're in love with him, say so. - It's nothing to do with that.

Something must be done against the Krauts.

- I didn't know you were a patriot. - I want to do something.

- All very well, but what? - I don't know.

Blow up a train, plant bombs...

- Have some fun, eh?! - I'm crazy about you.

Howdy, Borelli!

Have you booked a table?

- Everybody's here? - You're the last ones.

This little party could cost us dearly.

The windows are all covered.

After all the trouble I've gone to...

...I won't stand anyone looking glum.

Look at this!...

12 éclairs... that's half a one each.

And what do I have to drink? Champagne!

Chickpea juice, vinegar, molasses brandy...

and just a dash of tincture of iodine...

...to heal the ulcers the vinegar will give you.

You drink the poison with the antidote.

Come on, let's dance.

- This should be our home. - Ideal for entertaining.

This is not how I imagined our first ball.

Should I be wearing a full-length gown?!

Now for some real jive... Not an imitation.

Better keep it down or you'll attract a mob.

Oh no!

It's nice of you to have invited me.

I had a choice of you or my cousin.

I chose the prettier one.

You can read my thoughts with this.

Don't need it... I know them already.

It doesn't seem that way.

If you were in love with someone, Olivier, would you tell me?

- Maybe. - Maybe yes or maybe not?

- If I may?... - You may.

You don't want to know what makes you different from a dog?

Whether you have a soul or not, when someone hits you...

Pascal is a dreamer.

- So what does a wheelbarrow mean to you? - The Chinks invented it.

The Chinks?

Don't put France down! The wheelbarrow was Pascal.

- The potato was Parmentier. - What about turnips?

- Don't scratch the disc! - Can't you hear?

Is it the Krauts?

Those who aren't in Stalingrad are at Emma's establishment.

What if it's the police?

The clink and a 500 franc fine.

Are we going to save ourselves like kids?

What's going on here?

- Hey, you down there... Come back! - They're just having a bit of fun.

What are you doing? We're waiting.

- They're running away. - Quick, stop them!

HEY, YOU up there!

Just you wait and see!

This way!

Come on, Olivier. Quickly!

' Quickly!

Through here.

- Right or left? - I need to get back home.

Quickly!

Open up or we'll break down the door!

Open up!

The window.

- Thanks for that. - That's alright.

Quick, toss it down!

Soft tissue is abundant in the shaft of a long bone.

Flat bones are made up of 3 layers.

- When's it for? - 10.30 tonight at the mill.

- Isn't it dangerous to go back? - There is a second detached building.

- How many will there be? - 8... Schneider's joined us.

- What about Borelli? - His evenings are taken.

Jazz and petty crime with Daddy.

We'll move on to chemistry.

Duval, tell the boys from 1A to come in.

Guerbois and Bory, take care of the skeleton.

Come on old boy, you're finished for the day!

If the concierge is outside, forget it.

Hello, Mr Oscar... you okay this morning?

GET OUT!

Phosphorus must be stored and handled

...in a thick liquid.

Outside this liquid, when in contact with air...

...it begins to smoulder and ignite spontaneously...

...giving off an unpleasant odour.

German Army Canteen.

German Army Post Office

[VICHY MOTTO] WORK FATHERLAND FAMILY

SCUM FAMINE PATROL

So gentlemen...

Are you playing at being heroes?

- We do what we can. - Don't you agree?

I don't give a damn...

If it amuses you to risk jail over some posters, that's your business...

But don't count on me.

- Robert? - Here, Mum. Cheers.

You can see that Borelli still doesn't understand.

- Who was that? - Just some pals.

- Is the door shut properly? - I'll check.

- Ah, Robert.

Pardon me for using your room to change in...

...but between cousins... - What is it?

It's how I fool the Krauts. It's fun.

- So we all go to jail? - Will blond suit you?

On my papers it says black hair.

- Blonde, I'll escape. - Get rid of the moustache.

- Serious? - Obviously.

- What a bitch of a time we live in! - Why do you stand up to them?

You'd rather I packed my bag and walked?

Anyone 'd think that you'd taken the Bastille!

To mess up a train is no feat of arms.

To mess things up...

It still takes guts.

And those who are in prison camps? If everyone was like you,

- They'd never get out. - One prisoner to 100 mechanics!

They send them to the factories in Stuttgart

...or in Hamburg, to make bombs. That's not for me.

President Laval said...

Why doesn't he go work there... and take the Marshal with him.

- The two of them. - As if!

Without the Marshal, there'd be no more France.

Our dear allies still bomb us.

They're not doing it for fun.

You have to break eggs to make an omelet.

Go to the town hall. It can be arranged.

No...

Now that the first step's taken, I'll go on.

I'm sick of watching myself being put down in that mirror.

Password.

"France has lost..."

- What's it lost, again? - A battle, you fool. - Oh yes.

"France has lost a battle, but not the war."

- You weren't very thorough! - Go on.

It's OK, it's a friend.

Hey guys... It's a girl!

We don't want girls here.

Are we here for fun or to do a job?

I asked her to come.

- If I'm in on it, so is she. - Well, she's not!

Pipe down! Jean-Louis has a right to speak.

- He's done damned well. - Only came in 8 days ago.

You think we should have started resisting in 1927?

Are we supposed to trust all your girlfriends?

I only have one.

- She should swear an oath. - Oaths? Don't be silly...

That's boy-scout stuff. No oaths in the Maquis.

They blow up trains... We put up stickers.

It's a start!

Why couldn't we join a network that's already operating?

There are some of them in town.

You can see us stopping people in the street... "Excuse me, are you in the Resistance?"

Why get mixed up with the old guys? We can do as much as them. More, even.

So with the oath... What am I supposed to say?

All yours, Jean-Louis!

I swear by all that I hold dearest in the world...

...that even under severe torture...

...I would never betray any of my comrades...

...nor reveal any information...

...under the pain of death, for treason.

This I swear.

Have you sworn that, too?

How did it start?

I swear by all that I hold dearest in the world...

I swear by all that I hold dearest in the world...

That even under severe torture, I would never betray any of my comrades...

That even under severe torture, I would never betray any of my comrades...

Nor reveal any information...

Nor reveal any information...

...under the pain of death, for treason.

I remembered the last bit.

- Are we going to your place? - Mum'll be asleep.

I'll take my shoes off... like I usually do.

I'm sure you do.

Well, then... Is it yes or no?

Since you asked nicely...

...it's yes. Really?

No! No! Let me go!

Marcel! Oh, Marcel!

Stop yelling!

Let me go!

Shut up!

Keep still.

Stop or I'll shoot!

The swine!

-Hi! - Religion lesson.

You will only worship God, and love Him above all else.

You will only worship God, and love Him above all else.

You will not take the name of God in vain.

You will not take the name of God in vain.

You will remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.

You will remember the Sabbath... ...and keep it holy.

You will honor your father and mother.

Feels funny coming on a Thursday without being stuck here.

Thou shalt not kill.

- Got the hook? - Yeah.

It's open. Hurry up!

If the chaplain goes away, we've lost our excuse.

- What are you doing here? - What about YOU?

I forgot a book.

As we're being questioned on chemistry tomorrow...

I'm tinkering. I've always been a bit of a tinkerer.

- What are you doing? - A tin filled with oil...

...and a bit of phosphorus. I haven't forgotten the lesson.

As easy as pie. You shut it tightly.

At the moment you need it, pour out the oil...

...and the phosphorus starts to burn. See?

You've got yourself a firebomb.

- Do you think it'll work? - We'll have to try it out.

On what?

German headquarters or the German shop on the square.

- What's got into you?! - The Krauts... I'm sick of them.

Why? Can't barbers sell butter any more?...

Has your father's black market been upset?

Phooey!

It wasn't my fault, what happened to my father.

Why you want to attack them?

It's not so as to save civilisation.

I don't like being bothered when I'm dancing.

And having to escape over rooftops is a nuisance..

Having my discs smashed to pieces is unforgiveable.

It's alright for them to occupy Europe...

...but my record collection is sacred.

You're impossible!

Give me some orders and you'll see.

Orders?

I'm not gonna piss my pants! Put me to the test.

I would if I could...

...but you and I aren't the same. We see things differently.

Back in '40, I was 14 years old.

I wanted to kill the first Germans I laid eyes on.

It was physical repulsion.

Not physical repulsion for me... more intellectual.

It's the result that counts.

Once we praised the soldiers who went to war.

"I'm for hire. Any takers?"

Hurry up... the bible-basher's finished. What's Borelli doing here?

Borelli gets zero for theory, but...

...you should see his practical!

- Doesn't make much noise. - That's right...

Something like that into the back of a truck.

All aboard for Montigny!

Only way you'll get to the match on time.

30 francs return.

At that price, we might have a cushion or something.

Make yourself look good. This is a photo for my wife.

Watch out!... Once she sees me, your marriage is over!

Come on... look serious!

- You be goalie... here. - It'd be better on the other side.

I'm telling you... we're part of a plan!

Mission accomplished... We gotta beat it!

Just in time. Fantastic!

Right... two for Dam]...

...two for you, and two for me.

That surely has to be enough to get a fire going.

I toss the first one, and you follow one minute later.

- Be careful. - Don't worry.

The Krauts are too stupid to catch me.

- It's never happened on a Sunday. - And on the day of the match.

Even the English have started working at the weekend!

Help me down... I have a bad leg.

Just a moment.

There we are.

-Hey you! Are you deaf? Get over here!

Bloody hell!... Do I have to chase up everybody?!

Do you think I do this for fun?

Now it's our turn to play...

So long as we're not seen.

Anyone not in shelters will only see two lovers.

No!... He's not the sort to do anything disreputable.

- He's doesn't chase girls at all. - He must be somewhere.

I have my own ideas about him.

- I'd eat him up! - Eat that nice young thing?

You couldn't!

What about the town hall pigeons?

They haven't chosen to flee south.

- That OK? - Move back a bit.

1Your turn.

What the heck are you doing?

He's crazy, that one.

My heart's pounding! Feel it.

Feeling pleased?

Gosh!

We'd better get inside.

Who' responsible for this sabotage?!

The school is demolished... It's a crime against culture!

- Herr Colonel Borelli! - Heil, Philibert!

We couldn't know there were bottles of compressed air there.

- He's here! - Quiet!

Gentlemen, I have something to say to you.

There'll be no natural history class this morning.

- Mr Voitrin won't be coming. - Why not?

- I don't know. - Is he sick?

I'm not able to say.

I'm here to ask you to take care of his things.

Why? Won't he be back at all?

- Not for a while. - Why wouldn't he have told us?

Maybe he didn't dare.

This microscope is his own?

- Yes. The skeleton as well. - It's in memory of a student!

If they're necessary for your exam preparation, I'll leave them in your care.

But it's on the condition that you accept full responsibility.

You're free until tomorrow.

- Wonder what's happened? - Probably sick.

Excuse me sir...

What's happened to Mr Voitrin? Is he sick, or what?

- He's been arrested. - Arrested?!

The headmaster's looking for someone to replace him.

- Why's he been arrested? - I'm not in their confidence.

I'm as upset as you by his arrest, but yelling serves no good purpose.

Neither he, nor those who arrested him, can hear you.

- We can't just accept it. - I agree, Olivier...

There are times when turning the other cheek is stupid and useless.

So why was he arrested?

' Because of the explosion.

It was an accident. A gas meter burst.

The Germans think differently.

They've been searching for suspects.

It seems they found some leaflets at your teacher's place.

Compromising documents.

Is Mr Voitrin in the Resistance?

Those in the Resistance don't scream it from the rooftops.

What if the explosion had nothing to do with him?

Maybe he'll manage to prove that he's not guilty.

Gaubert... lucky with the air-raid alert.

There'll be more. You coming?

Yeah.

It's the only way of breaking down the gate.

My father lets me do what I want with the truck.

- Does it take long to get up speed? - We'll see. Hang on.

- You see? Nearly 50. - I wouldn't have believed it.

We have to get Voitrin out of there.

You reckon we take that risk for a guy who gave me 3 detentions in a row.

Left... wheel!

Guard... halt!

About turn!

Left... turn!

Forward... march!

I've never seen a door opening so easily.

Mercadier's uncle has a Citroën.

We could swipe it and disguise it.

But we have to plan the job carefully.

And we have to know how it works in there.

Where do I go about an ID card?

Over in the corner there.

Your might be best at drawing...

But Dany's plan of German HQ is the most accurate.

Once their fuel depot starts burning...

...we make our move.

Right.

Not bad, but there's a snag.

Let's say we get in through the garage.

But there are sentries right in front, aren't there?

The car will have the false plates that we'll be painting.

With the back seat out, we'll be able to hide 4 armed men.

So who'll be the German driver?

Schneider. He speaks good German.

Yeah...

'That'll do it...

So long as we all get back.

If you're scared, pull out now.

It's all very well for you, you're driving.

But the one who has to blow the petrol...

Whoever that is should know right away.

Should their family be warned?

If it was me, I'd want time to think about it.

It's not going to be easy.

Knowing who will be doing it, will be a relief to the others!

Everything will be decided in good time.

We have to get hold of weapons and something for Schneider to wear.

Here's the outfit for the complete junior saboteur.

Patented system... No government guarantees.

Good one!

Quiet! The signal.

On your marks...

Ready. ..

- Heads!... So I'll go. - Don't be stupid!

We have the uniform for Schneider... Don't let's get ahead of ourselves.

We still need weapons. That's our priority right now.

Here's the emery powder.

This'll put a Kraut wagon out of action.

Ready.

"O France, O beautiful country, O generous land "

Don't get carried away! We know you're a poet.

Come on.

Hey, it's Schneider! Doesn't he look great!

Behind the wheel of the car, he'll certainly pull it off!

I hadn't known where my grandfather had hidden it.

Where was it?

You wouldn't believe it.

What do we do with a blunderbuss like this?!

We can saw off the barrel. That'll do it.

With this and the Kraut revolver, it's starting to get serious.

So, Commander, is it to be soon?

Yes, it'll be soon.

What's happening?

'We decided to talk here... the mill's not safe.

- Hello.

SQ?

Next week, my uncle's going down to Paris.

If we want to use his car, it has to be now.

And there's the risk that Voitrin will be transferred.

So we're on our way?

I can get the car for Saturday or Sunday.

If we want. It'd be better to wait for a few days.

- If you're chickening out now...! - I'm not chickening out.

We'd have to have an automatic weapon to make that attack.

What we have now is simply not enough.

To get a machine gun...

...we need to cause an accident and swipe the weapons.

If you agree, we can do it tonight on the road to the airfield...

...with a steel cable.

We won't be attacking a truck of a car...

...but a motorbike.

Then we grab the machine gun.

What if the guy gets killed?

It'll have been an accident.

He might get off with a broken leg.

I've got a drawing class this evening, so I've an excuse for my parents.

I'm not going.

- Me neither. It's a shitty idea.

To kill a guy fighting is one thing... but like that...

They should have stayed at home in their beloved Prussia.

"Their Prussia"? You think this is still 1870?

Their Wurtemberg, their Rhineland... but not here.

After all the build-up you just drop out at the last moment?

We're really going to kill a guy!

Wouldn't you like to see one of them die?

What if I told you that this is where I quit?

You'd be a bastard.

You could give the game away.

Anyone would think you'd never been scared.

Say, Jacques... You're not chickening out, are you?

Alright... I'll come tonight.

And you, Duval?

Me too.

Doesn't mean I don't think it's a damned shitty idea.

And for all those poor guys who are tortured, killed or shipped off...

...isn't that damned shitty?

We need to warn everyone.

We shouldn't all leave together.

- I'll check out the route on my bike. - See you.

- So it's happening? - Shush!

Are you really praying?

Yes.

Wait...

Like that, the wire stays tight.

Come on!

Fantastic!

Go on... tighten it!

1 'The wheels of death draw closer.

Don't move!

- Get out of sight. - The machine gun!

Give it here.

- He's getting away! - He mustn't raise the alarm!

Detach the wire and pick up the bikes.

- What's going on? - The shooting's stopped.

Olivier...

I couldn't do otherwise.

- You're taking his revolver? - That's why we're here, isn't it?

- Look. - Hey, it's a German helmet!

With this and the skeleton in the senior school, we can do a great stunt.

- What are you going to do? - Nothing to do with girls.

Those seniors won't let you have the skeleton.

We've managed to pinch their microscope before.

My father told me that they were searching the signal box.

He was at the station.

That shows they haven't got a lead.

- They'll take hostages. - Let's finish this.

Tonight's the night.

If the petrol dump burns, the Germans will have to attend to it.

We'll take care of the rest.

So who's to set off the fuel depot? That's still to be decided.

I volunteer.

- You? - That's right.

No, that wouldn't be fair.

We have to draw lots. Now.

- Before our poetry test? - Why not during it?

The first one to draw "The Kind-hearted Serving Girl"...

...that will be him. "Of whom were you jealous..."

Agreed.

Whoever gets the job will go and hide in the garage soon after dark.

Borelli, would you like to start?

Good luck with your pick.

We're all ears.

"Happy he who, like Ulysses, has returned successful from his travels...

"Or like he who sought the Golden Fleece...

" then returned, wise to the world..."

Well, go on.

I don't know any more.

You must admit that's rather poor.

Your turn, Mercadier.

- Well? - Conscience.

Victor Hugo. Excellent.

" Then, with his children, clothed in skins of brutes...

"Dishevelled, pale, rushing through the storm...

"Cain fled before Jehovah. As night fell...

" The dark man reached a hillock

"in a great plain...

"And his tired wife and his sons, all out of breath...

" Said: "Let us lie down upon the ground and sleep."

"Cain, sleeping not, dreamed at the hillock's foot.

"Raising his head, to that funereal heaven

" He saw an eye, a great eye, in the night..."

I'll spare you the rest.

Who's next?

Mesnier.

I'm sorry Sir. I don't know a word of it.

Well, that's easy. Zero.

- I'm sorry, Sir. - Go back to your seat.

Mesnier... come back. I'll give you another chance.

Magnanimous of me, eh?

So what's this one?

"The kind-hearted servant of whom you were jealous,

"Sleeping her sleep on a ragged lawn...

"Shouldn't we take her a few flowers?..."

What's the matter? Aren't you feeling well?

- Are all your students assembled? - All of them.

But I was thinking maybe the younger ones...

Those under 12... or 10, say...

I said they were all to be here. ALL of them!

Silence!

Get in line!

I know...

...most of you are good French people...

Good patriots...

...who want to avoid their country, their city, suffering reprisals.

Those have nothing to be afraid of.

But unfortunately there are some hotheads amongst you.

What class was responsible for these objects?

Senior B.

But that doesn't prove anything.

Where are the students of Senior B?

Big boys. Men almost.

It wasn't them, so they don't risk anything.

Pretty, isn't it?

Halt.

You! Get that down for me... Right now!

- We had nothing to do with it! - No talking! Quick!

Quickly!

You!

Take them! Forward march!

Who could have done it?

This stupidity can't be all that serious for us.

- Father's profession? - Hardware store owner.

- Mother's? - She works in the shop.

Any brothers or sisters?

One brother. POW.

That'll do. Finished.

Next.

Borelli.

Borelli!

Make a thumb-print.

Christian name?

- Do you think we'll be searched? - Probably.

I have this badge in my pocket.

I thought it'd be good for Schneider.

You gotta get rid of it!

Gimme.

Dan court, come with me.

- What'll we do with it? - Shush!

Guerbois?

Your turn.

- Do you think they'll be released? - There's no way of knowing.

- They've got your boy, too? - Yes.

I'd like to be able to forget this offensive prank.

Wipe the slate clean, as you say.

However, it's more serious than that.

There's been a murder in this town.

An investigation is underway.

And you...

...YOU can help us find the culprits.

Go ahead.

This helmet...

...which adorned your skeleton...

...belonged to a soldier who was murdered.

It has his serial number.

You are all old enough to understand...

...that this coincidence looks very bad for you.

Doesn't it?

So...

Where did you find this helmet?

Under what circumstances?

Be warned...

Any refusal to speak will be taken as complicity.

What's your name?

Yves-Marie Duval.

What do you know about this helmet?

I know nothing... It wasn't us who took the skeleton.

Come in.

Colonel... we've found something important.

Let me see. Come on.

Who hid this badge?

It has to have been one of you.

Like the helmet, it belonged to the soldier

who was murdered.

...H.S..._

Hans Schmueller.

I've spoken about complicity.

The one who had this badge on him is possibly a murderer.

I shall keep you all as hostages...

...until the guilty one has confessed.

Downstairs!

Go on... quick!

Halt.

Borelli.

Step forward.

Quick!

Bory.

Dan court.

DuvaL

In you go.

Guerbois.

Be quick about it!

- Gaubert. - Jacques! Jacques!

Jacques!

Laplanche.

Mercadier.

Rouquier.

Schneider. Quick!

Have you been here long?

Since this morning.

Have my friends been released?

No. They're under guard.

They've searched the homes of all the Senior B students.

They found nothing incriminating, anywhere.

After all, it's just a farce.

A farce?

A skeleton hanging from a lamppost.

That's all, isn't it?

I can't say anything, Father.

We're bound by our oath.

There's something else, isn't there?

You know I can't force a confession out of you.

Here we listen without hearing...

...if that can help you.

All day long, I've thought of them, over there...

I've been imagining terrible things.

Is what you've done...

...very serious?

Yes.

Can you tell my parents that I'm safe?

Here's the key to the sacristy...

You can sleep there quite safely.

Are you sure it wouldn't be better to tell me more?

It's because of the death of that German, that they've been held...

...isn't it?

Answer me.

Yes.

We were intending to attack the Kommandantur this evening.

For that we needed weapons.

I had to blow up the fuel depot...

...then I'd be free.

Not for long, if you stay here.

I may be able to help you get away.

What about Dam]?

- Dam]? Was she with you?

Yes.

If the Germans had suspected her they would have acted by now.

Can you help her, too?

It's her duty to stay with her mother.

After the war, God willing, you can get back together.

And my friends?

Hopefully, they'll pull through.

The Germans may not have enough proof.

If your companions have the strength to keep silent...

"I swear that even under severe torture...

...I would never betray any of my comrades."

Free? Never.

- What are they doing? - A hunger strike.

Lot of good that'll do them!

I'm fed up! I'm really hungry.

Just keep your mouth shut!

We'll end up chickening out. They'll force us!

Shut up! We're sworn to silence, so don't stuff things up.

Here birdie...

Here birdie...

Chaplain... you are German and I am French...

But we both live for the love of Christ.

I'm here to beg you, in the name of the Christian charity...

...to help me save those poor lads.

Christian charity also says "thou shalt not kill".

Alas, who observes that, today?

An isolated crime is more hateful than collective crimes...

...which we have no control over. - But these are children...

...who have led a sheltered life, and now see their country invaded.

It is just an instinctive backlash.

It is not for us to judge them...

...but it is up to us to understand and have pity on them.

I am capable of pity, Reverend.

- Do you understand German? - A little..

"Das angenäme diese Welt,

"...hab ich genassen,

"The pleasures of this world I have enjoyed..."

"And April May and June are gone."

You know Htilderlin?

I found that verse in a notebook of the soldier murdered by your protégés.

You see, not all soldiers are brutes.

Hans Schmueller wasn't responsible for this war, either.

It will be no consolation for his parents to learn...

...that his murderers were children.

That these children are condemned will be no consolation for them either.

At least... I hope so!

We live in cruel times, Reverend.

Our duty...

...is to pray...

...that the carnage might stop.

If I ask our Lord for peace...

...I'm not qualifying that with victory for my country.

That's my own form of resistance.

Resistance against force.

I will pray for your boys...

...with the same fervour that I'll pray for Hans Schmueller.

Where did you find this helmet?

You don't want to answer?

And this badge...

Which of you had it on him?

You know, don't you? You know!

But you won't talk!

You are ALL complicit!

By keeping quiet, you're making things worse for yourself!

Your silence will destroy you!

The soldier you murdered was armed. Where are those weapons?!

Where are those weapons?

Where are those weapons?

Where are they?

Talk!

You going to answer?

We have all the time in the world, but our patience is limited.

Who took the revolver?

The badge... one of you hid it in that sideboard.

Who?

Your little friends have talked. Our enquiries are progressing.

Where are the weapons? Where's the revolver?

My eyes are burning.. but I won't close them.

That would be cowardly. I invent ways to hang on.

I tell myself that it's the sun. You shouldn't look at the sun.

But as I may never see it again...

However much they abuse us, threaten us, beat us...

...without proof, or a confession, they can do nothing against us.

It's hard not to talk, at all...

It's hard...

...but it's our only chance of getting out of it.

I'm writing to you every day, Mum...

Like the only occasion I spent any length of time away from you.

The holiday in Cabourg.

I have 9 letters for you hidden in my shoe.

They beat us so that the death does not frighten us any more.

- What are they doing? - A search.

- They already came once. - They're searching every inch.

At the Duval's, they ripped off all the wallpaper.

What are they looking for?

They've brought the lads with them. They hope to make them give in.

Found anything?

Nothing... try over there.

- Lieutenant! - Yes?

How about that!

Make a report right away. Stop now!

Recognise this?

Stand up, you miserable scum!

Stand up!

Murderer!

Come on. Take him!

Robert! Robert, my boy...

This is not the time!

Move it!

Keep moving.

Take him away.

Robert! Robert!

Vive la France!

Borelli.

Time of arrival?

9.30.

- Put him in solitary. - Yes, sir.

Which cell's vacant?

It's over, for you guys.

You'll be able to go home.

I'm the guilty one.

They found the gun I'd hidden.

So that's it.

Now...

...it's over for you.

It's not possible for him to be the only one that pays.

- We were all in on it. - No.

It's not the same.

You all have to go on.

Well, I can't quit on Robert. I have to see it through.

- I was the one who shot him! - Shut up!

The others are innocent. It was me!

I'd do it 100 times over!

It's me! It's me!

I can prove that I'm not lying... that I'm telling the truth!

The machine gun is buried in the Gambier coppice...

...behind the charcoal burners cabin.

Go and see. Condemn me, I don't care!

I'm not lying, I'm telling the truth... Do you hear?!

NOTICE: Students Olivier Guerbois and Robert Borelli have been condemned to death for the murder of a German soldier.

My dear parents...

If ever this letter reaches you...

...know that I thought of you to the very end.

I'm dying because I did something... me who never cared about anything.

And I die satisfied... I who so loved life.

Goodbye, Mum.

Ask all those that I love to remember me.

But do not cry.

Have courage, Mum.

I have no regrets.

One day you will understand that it was worthwhile.

We had to die for others to live happily.