Capitaine Conan (1996)

Director:

Bertrand Tavernier

Writers:

Jean Cosmos (dialogue)
Jean Cosmos (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

5 September 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

Bulgaria near the end of World War I: Conan, warrior and wolf, leads a band of 50 ruthless French fighters who love hand-to-hand combat...

Plot Keywords:

Warrior | Teacher | Lieutenant | Bulgaria | Band

Awards:

10 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Philippe Torreton	...	Capt. Conan
Samuel Le Bihan	...	Norbert
Bernard Le Coq	...	Lt. De Scève
Catherine Rich	...	Madeleine Erlane
François Berléand	...	Commandant Bouvier
Claude Rich	...	Gen. Pitard de Lauzier
André Falcon	...	Col. Voirin
Claude Brosset	...	Père Dubreuil
Crina Muresan	...	Ilyana
Cécile Vassort	...	Georgette
François Levantal	...	Forgeol
Pierre Val	...	Jean Erlane
Roger Knobelspiess	...	Maj. Cuypene
Frédéric Pierrot	...	Chef de train
Jean-Claude Calon	...	Officier greffier Loisy
Laurent Schilling	...	Beuillard
Jean-Yves Roan	...	Rouzic
Philippe Héliès	...	Grenais
Tonio Descanvelle	...	Caboulet
Eric Savin	...	Armurier
Olivier Loustau	...	Mahut
Jean-Marie Juan	...	Lethore
Jean-Christophe Chavanon	...	Sentinelle De Scève
Christophe Calmel	...	Soldat 2 De Scève
J.P. Monaghan	...	Major anglais
Laurent Bateau	...	Soldat Perrin
Tervelt Nikolov	...	Soldat bulgare
Eric Dufay	...	Lt. Fideli
Philippe Frécon	...	Cuistot Ménard
Diana Radu	...	Serveuse café Sokol
Michel Charvaz	...	Sergent café Sokol
Patrick Delage	...	Serveur Messinge
Patrick Brossard	...	Riquiou
Yvon Crenn	...	Ordonnance Floch
Christophe Odent	...	Cabanel
Franck Jazédé	...	Havrecourt
Dominique Compagnon	...	Morel
Pascal Guérin	...	Soldat retardataire
Christophe Vandevelde	...	Soldat classe II
Maria Pitarresi	...	Infirmière train
Patrice Verdeil	...	Soldat quart d'eau
Frédéric Diefenthal	...	Sergent gare Bucarest
Daniel Langlet	...	Directeur lycée
Luminita Anghel	...	Chanteuse taverne
Hubert Ravel	...	Soldat patrouille Norbert
Philippe Lelièvre	...	Gendarme bordel 1
Bruno Therasse	...	Gendarme bordel 2
Laurent Labasse	...	Raoul Fourrier
Eric Thannberger	...	Louberac
Sandrine Desio	...	Fréhel
Eugen Cristea	...	Monsieur Loyal du cabaret
Raluca Penu	...	Myrta (as Raluca Penu Tomescu)
Juliana Ciugulea	...	Frida
Dana Medeleanu	...	La caissière
Olivier Cruveiller	...	Officier gare de Bucarest
Olivier Brunhes	...	Soldat anarchiste
Jean-Claude Frissung	...	Gendarme Bergeret
Adrian Pintea	...	Médecin Bucarest
Mircea Stoian	...	Aide de camp Bouvier
Marian Stan	...	Sous-officier mess 1
Claudiu Istodor	...	Sous-officier mess 2
Laurentiu Lazar	...	Insp. Romesco
Radu Duda	...	Insp. Stefanesco
David Brécourt	...	Lt. Bérard
Olga Tudorache	...	Prostituée
Eugenia Bosânceanu	...	Mère Ilyana
Simona Mihaescu Stan	...	Infirmière anglaise
Sorin Cocis	...	Cpl. Moreau
Mircea Anca	...	Cpl. Girard
Patrick Pineau	...	Sgt. Lanzec
Françoise Sage	...	Serveuse café Bretagne
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vasile Albinet	...	French Officer

Directed by
Bertrand Tavernier

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jean Cosmos		dialogue
Jean Cosmos		screenplay
Bertrand Tavernier		screenplay
Roger Vercel		novel

Produced by
Frédéric Bourboulon	....	producer
Alain Sarde	....	producer

Original Music by
Oswald d'Andrea

Cinematography by
Alain Choquart

Film Editing by
Luce Grunenwaldt

Production Design by
Guy-Claude François

Art Direction by
Guy-Claude François

Costume Design by
Agnès Evein
Jacqueline Moreau

Makeup Department
Daniela Busoiu	....	makeup artist
Daniel Parker	....	special makeup effects artist
Agnès Tassel	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Yvon Grenn	....	production manager
Pascal Ralite	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Catalin Dordea	....	assistant director
Pascal Guérin	....	second assistant director
Cristina Ionescu	....	second assistant director
Valérie Othnin-Girard	....	assistant director

Art Department
Michel Charvaz	....	property master
Patrick Colpaert	....	assistant art director
Magdalena Marasescu	....	construction coordinator
Gabriel Nechita	....	assistant art director
Gabriela Nechita	....	assistant art director
Pisau Petrica	....	props
Marian Pisau	....	props
Thierry Poulet	....	painter
Doina Repanovici	....	draftsman
Waldemar Weiss	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Khadicha Bariha	....	sound editor
Jean-Michel Chauvet	....	boom operator
Michel Desrois	....	sound
Gérard Lamps	....	sound
Jérôme Lévy	....	foley artist
Pascal Mazière	....	assistant foley artist
Elisabeth Paquotte	....	assistant sound editor
Christian Riffard	....	post-production audio
Eric Tisserand	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Petre Constantin	....	pyrotechnician
Grégoire Delage	....	special effects
Georges Demétrau	....	special effects
Lucian Iordache	....	special effects
Mihai Reti	....	special effects coordinator
Olivier Zenenski	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Antoine Simkine	....	visual effects executive producer: Duboi

Stunts
Vasile Albinet	....	stunt performer
Dicu Aurel	....	stunt performer
Ion Carangea	....	stunts
Mihai Danciu	....	stunts
Mihai Ionita	....	horses stunts
Alin Luchian	....	stunt performer
John Maldea	....	horse stuntman
Dicu Marian	....	stunt performer
Adrian Pavlovschi	....	stunt coordinator
Rasvan Puiu	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Bonomi	....	key grip
Calin Catalin	....	electrician
Jean-Marie Dreujou	....	assistant camera
Didier Frémont	....	assistant camera
Etienne George	....	still photographer
Christian Inizan	....	electrician
Jean-Marie Leroy	....	still photographer
Philippe Payet	....	electrician
Myriam Vinocour	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eli Calin	....	costume assistant
Corina Stavila	....	costume assistant

Other crew
Ana Maria Telega	....	production assistant
Zoe Zurstrassen	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Canal+
• Les Films Alain Sarde
• Little Bear
• Studio Images 2
• TF1 Films Production

Distributors

• AmaFilms (????) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Bac Films (????) (France) (theatrical)
• Vértigo Films (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Kino International (1997) (USA) (subtitled)
• Kino Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)

Also Known As:

Captain Conan
Capitán Conan (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Capitan Conan (Italy) [it]
Hauptmann Conan und die Wölfe des Krieges (Germany) [de]
Kapitan Conan (Poland) [pl]
Kapteeni Conan (Finland) [fi]
Lohagos Conan - To prosopo tou polemou (Greece) [el]
Yüzbasi Conan (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Romanian | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Argentina:13 | South Korea:15 | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Saint-Suliac, Ille-et-Vilaine, France

Company:

Canal+

Movie Connections:

Referenced in In the Shadow of Hollywood (2000)

Very good war film

This is in many ways a very good war film but not in the typical way. The film opens in the closing days of WW1 on the Eastern Front where Capitaine Conan (Philippe Torreton in a Cesar winning performance) leads a band of ruthless hand to hand fighters, equivalent to a modern special forces unit. They prove themselves far more effective than the regular army in the final defeat and are envied by many including a friend of Conan, Lt Norbet (Samuel Le Bihan, IIRC was nominated for a Cesar in this). But when the armistice is signed Conan and his men find themselves in limbo while Norbert, working for the Court Martials finds himself accusing the very men he admired for robbery and murder. This film does take a while to get going but it is worth it, giving time for the characters to develop and also establishing the monotony the soldiers find, going from combat to walking the streets of Bucharest. The film also deals with the beginnings of the Russian Civil War and the problem of soldiers fighting with no motivation. Tavernier's direction is superb and visually the film equals a number of classic war films while the performances help to give it an edge as it goes into territory that Hollywood war film's in particular have tended not to go into.