1940: Taking over French Cinema (2019): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2019, 1940: Taking over French Cinema is a history and documentary film directed by Pierre-Henri Gibert, running about 55 minutes.

What it’s about. Paris, 1940. German occupation forces create a new film production company, Continental, and put Alfred Greven – producer, cinephile, and opportunistic businessman – in charge. During the occupation, under Joseph Goebbels’s orders, Greven hires the best artists and technicians of French cinema to produce successful, highly entertaining films, which are also strategically devoid of propaganda. Simultaneously, he takes advantage of the confiscation of Jewish property to purchase film theaters, studios and laboratories, in order to control the whole production line. His goal: to create a European Hollywood. Among the thirty feature films thus produced under the auspices of Continental, several are, to this day, considered classics of French cinema.

Who’s in it. 1940: Taking over French Cinema stars Sarah-Jane Sauvegrain as Self (voice), Louis-Émile Galey as Self (archive footage), Claude Heymann as Self (archive footage) and Jean Dréville as Self (archive footage), among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 9.5/10, 1940: Taking over French Cinema sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch 1940: Taking over French Cinema page.

If you liked it. Fans of 1940: Taking over French Cinema tend to enjoy Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Hacksaw Ridge and Green Book.