Les Patates

During the war of 1939-45, the forces

of occupation divided France into three zones: the occupied zone, the unoccupied zone

and the forbidden zone. In the latter,

the population suffered severe restrictions close to famine.

We have chosen this true story so that future

generations will do everything possible to prevent it from happening again.

This film was made with the help and support of the Council.

General of the Ardennes, to whom we express our most sincere gratitude.

Paulette...

I thought that for the funeral dinner...

You are very kind.

Without you, Mathilde, there would have been nothing but turnips.

He liked them so much.

It was what he missed the most..

Meat not...

potatoes..

Shall I peel them for you? You must have something else to do.

What do I have to do?

I'll peel them. That will keep me busy.

Hello, son.

You have nice trousers.

Yes..

It's a good opportunity.

Are those your wedding ones?

You seem not to recognize me..

They don't stay on me. - We'll have to tie them.

Looking at me I'm not that thin.

Because in the mirror you see your big round face.

But if you saw your buttocks...

a desolation..

We should never go to funerals.

Do you see those mouse holes there?

A flag must have holes. It's more glorious..

But not mouse holes. They eat the best part.

As early as 1914, at the review board,

he weighed 90 kilos.

You talk. Those were kilos from before the war.

They increased without us noticing. - Then we wanted to lose them.

When he wanted to sit down he needed two chairs...

One for each buttock.

Paul's two chairs were a curiosity.

When only one was needed we thought: This is bad-".

He's going to die.

And he died... of hunger..

The first to die of hunger in the commune.

In times like these that could be contagious.

You're right. If this became an epidemic, it wouldn't surprise me.

It is not an insult to his memory to recall

this cheerful companion who joked about his corpulence,

and who was the first to laugh about it.

Former cook and fine cordon bleu...

he liked to repeat that a master cook who has no belly

does not honor his sauces..

Although he had retired, every year he put on the apron...

What am I doing? - You won't have it.

Unfortunately, the war dealt him a fatal blow.

We can say that he had to suffer the privations that all

of us bravely endured

but who, without doubt...

A rabbit. - What?

With this strong appetite...

managed constantly to defend himself

against this scourge

that falls upon our fields and that we believed gone forever

from our civilized lands.

"It was called hunger" Today, it changed its name

it is called restriction"...

You stay here!

And in my capacity as mayor and friend,

I bear witness to my faith in the country's future.

Rest in peace..

If I didn't have the flag...

To you.

What is a hat for?

I'll trade it to you for two trout. - Ah, no.

No, I will give it to the widow.

It is the most appropriate thing.

Paulette.

If you wish to accept it, it is from the heart.

But no. Keep it-

It's for you. Take it, it gives me pleasure.

That's fine. - Thank you.

Look.

Yes, well, I see.

This is the last one..

What are you saying?

It is our last sack of potatoes.

In the name of God!

It is not possible that we have reached the last sack.

We harvested 1000 kg in September..

I don't deny it.

Did we eat 4 sacks in one month? - It's the only thing we eat.

What are we going to eat afterwards?

Turnips.

Have you seen those who eat turnips?

Did you see their faces in the cemetery?

They are up now, but later they will be down

like poor Paul who died of hunger.

The day we buried him, you tell me there are no more potatoes?

It's not a good time.

It's a strange idea that you tell me this, just before dinner.

Now I'm not hungry, I can't eat.

Don't tell the children.

It's not worth it.

Potatoes again!

Not much. - You see.

You're fed up with eating potatoes.

Damn war!

And damn life!

Didn't you have a friend with his parents in Bezonche?

In Bezonche?

Yes, Guignard Alfonse. I met him during the war.

But... why are you talking to me about him?

For nothing.

You don't sleep, you think about Alfonse whom you don't know.

You don't even know what he's like.

No.

He was a big idiot. - I'm not saying otherwise.

Surrounded by the Germans, he didn't want to escape with me.

He didn't want to throw away his rifle.

In the river it's easy. Since it's heavy, it sinks by itself.

It's a pleasure to see that..

Did he send you a letter from Germany?

I didn't even reply to him.

Was it to visit his parents?

I haven't even been there.

His parents have a farm in Bezonche.

Yes, in Bezonche.

They must be growing potatoes.

Yes, potatoes, no doubt.

You should go see them.

To Bezonche? - Yes.

Well. That's a funny idea.

How did it occur to you?

Just like that, it came to me on its own.

It's not a bad idea.

I'm not saying it isn't.

Ideas like that need to be thought over.

Of course.

You have to reflect.

Anyway...

sometimes you have strange ideas, ideas that I'll never have.

It's stronger than me. When you laugh like that...

right away I want to make love to you.

After that, you snored.

You always sleep afterwards.

I think about many things.

Yesterday, I thought about that idea I had,

that you go to Bezonche to see the Guignards.

I think it's a good idea.

I'm not saying I won't go.

But first I have to think.

I can't carry 200 kg of potatoes on my back.

Even with 50,

they would see me. - Certainly, not on your back.

It's in the occupied zone. Here, it's the forbidden zone.

You need a pass.

That's not even worth thinking about.

Let's suppose I've managed to get there with my 200 kg of potatoes.

Then what do I run into?

French gendarmes.

As if the Germans weren't enough.

And not only the gendarmes, also the customs officers.

And that's worse!

They're as much scum as the gendarmes..

Gendarmes get killed from time to time.

Customs officers don't have accidents.

Have you ever seen a customs officer bitten by a suitcase?

A customs officer dead on the field of honor? A victim of duty?

Customs officers live a long time.

There are many retirees in customs.

There is a God for bastards. - Not all of them, there are some good ones.

"The good ones"... or the idiots?

I'm telling you this because your brother is a customs officer...

He's probably a son of a bitch,

but since he's your brother I'll say he's an idiot..

That's right.

We must be able to trick them...

"We must be able".

If we're not as stupid as they are.

Well, tell me how!

By bringing nothing, for example.

"By bringing nothing"?

It seems you don't understand..

I always have to explain everything to you.

"By bringing nothing"...

"By bringing nothing"...

You're always the last one. - Someone has to be-

You always have an answer for everything.

Do you know the word honor ? - Yes, miss!

You hear it often.

Yes. Honor and homeland.

Word of honor.

Honor to the brave. - Very good.

Henri, can you tell me what honor is?

Honor is worth less than potatoes..

What does that mean?

Nothing. That means nothing.

That means potatoes are better than honor.

Explain yourself.