The Damned (1947)

 Rene Clement's "The Damned"


After the end of the second World War, many wartime stories became the subject of many films all over the globe. In France, director Rene Clement had already established himself as a prominent film director and after the war, created a film that really captured the panicked end to the grisly event. Coming out in 1947, "The Damned" gained recognition for its depiction of the final days of a group of Nazis. 

The film is most notable for its depiction of the interior of a wartime submarine, showing a group of wealthy Nazis and some French sympathizers head for South America on board a sub. After a female passenger gets a concussion, they port the sub and kidnap a French doctor to care for her. Knowing he could be disposed with after being useful and unable to escape, the doctor tries his best to scheme his way into his continued existence. When the sub reaches its destination, the Nazis realize that the war is over and there is not much they can do. They begin to turn on each other and everything falls apart.

Clement was able to capture all of the scenes with the submarine around the Mediterranean coastline. Many were impressed by both the exterior shots and interior. In fact, many were enthralled by the tracking shots through the submarine. 

What I really enjoyed about watching this film was its completely realized tone. The film was released in 1947, two years after the war had ended. However, the film is set in 1945 and is really able to capture the intense palpability of the walls closing in around the remaining Nazis. As the movie progresses, it becomes more and more dangerous for our characters, both the Nazis and the innocent doctor. As it becomes clearer and clearer that the Nazi's plans are becoming more and more unrealized, the tension of the film starts to pressurize. The tension closes in around you, as it does the characters. In the end, the Nazis are under so much of this pressure that they act out and cannibalize each other (metaphorically). With this, Clement does a fantastic job of creating a palpable tone straight out of 1945, when the war was coming to an end. Despite the film being about a very specific group, it's a great representation of the abstract whole. 



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