Winter 54 (1989): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1989, Winter 54 is a drama and historie film directed by Denis Amar, running about 102 minutes.

What it’s about. Postwar France was slow to recover from the after-effects of the World War Two. The economy was doing poorly, and many people were poor and homeless, sleeping under bridges, etc. The winter of 1953-54 proved particularly difficult for these people, as it was one of the coldest on record. Father Pierre (Lambert Wilson), a parish priest, on seeing the suffering of these people (and their frequent death from the cold), was moved to write the French government seeking help for them. When his letter, which was published in the newspapers, succeeded in rousing overwhelming popular support for helping the homeless, he was able to form a charitable group (still active today) titled "Les Chiffoniers d'Emmaus," or "The Ragpickers of Emmaus" to channel help to them. This biographical film tells the true story of Abbe Pierre's successful efforts in those years.

Who’s in it. Winter 54 stars Lambert Wilson as L'abbé Pierre, Claudia Cardinale as Hélène Larmier, Robert Hirsch as Raoul and Bernie Bonvoisin as Castaing, dit "la Castagne", among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.3/10, Winter 54 has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Winter 54 page.

If you liked it. Fans of Winter 54 tend to enjoy Die Verurteilten, Der Pate, Schindlers Liste and Der Pate - Teil II.