Other titles:BIRTHPLACE OF THE MARSEILLAISE [Translation]
Summary: The opening days of the war in Strasbourg.
Description: 1918 film, showing French troops entering Strasbourg, recalls the return of the 'birthplace of our immortal Marseillaise' and of all Alsace to the Patrie; now war has come again. Military proclamations order evacuation; police and customs men help citizens pack (a 'Souvenirs d'Alsace' shopkeeper packs up his stock) and they leave the city (with a variety of transport) confident in their imminent return once victory is won. In the deserted city, soldiers feed pigeons, deer graze in the Parc de l'Orangerie; in the surrounding countryside, life continues "en toute quietude." Peasants tend sheep and, with help from soldiers, begin to gather the harvest. Back in the city, precautions are taken for the safety of the cathedral: windows removed, monuments sandbagged; police on bicycle and foot patrol the empty streets and man a roadblock. Down at the river only a bridge separates France from Germany: in sandbagged strongpoints, sentries maintain the watch on the Rhine; the closing commentary confidently quotes the motto of the Regiment du Bas-Rhine: "Je tiendrai".
Alternative Title:BIRTHPLACE OF THE MARSEILLAISE [Translation]
Colour:B&W
Digitised:No
Object_Number:COI 85
Sound:Sound
Access Conditions:
Featured Period:1939-1945
Production Date:1939
Production Country: France
Production Details:
Personalities, Units and Organisations: French Army (regiment/service)
Keywords: propaganda, French - inspirational (object name)
society, French - domestic (object name)
society, French - precautionary (object name)
Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin, France (geography)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: French
Title language: French
Subtitle language: None
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 847 ft; Running time: 8 mins
