An international film with a German screenwriter (who would die in a concentration camp), a Czech camera operator, some British actors, a Russian and in particular a man who came out of nowhere, Erich von Stroheim, to whom Edmond T. Gréville gave the half disfigured face of a wounded war hero from the First World War: Menaces displayed a perception like few other films at the time, that is to say it was a barometer for the imminent conflict. The story of the film is extremely adventurous, even if we take the talented Gréville’s exaggerations with a pinch of salt. The filming of Cinq jours d’angoisse (working title) began in January 1939, shortly after the Munich agreement. By talking about the comings and goings of the clients of a hotel in place du Panthéon, the script developed the plot alongside political events. “Every week, a change in the international situation threw the process into panic and confusion. There were various partial mobilisations forcing me to change technicians and actors”. Then it was the turn of the producers who lost their money and went away. The film was taken over by the L.T.C. laboratory. In April, a fire destroyed a large part of the negative copy (Gréville suspected that it had political and criminal origins). Shooting in a film studio was restarted in August, but was interrupted by the declaration of war. Gréville managed to get another three weeks filming in exchange for a patriotic war ending and the film was released in December 1939. According to the director, the negative was later “destroyed by the Gestapo”. In September 1945 the film put back together and given a new ending. Stroheim and John Loder are abroad, Ginette Leclerc and Mireille Balin are in prison, Jean Galland was banned: Gréville used Maurice Maillot and doubles. Unfortunately, this last version is the only remaining.

Bernard Eisenschitz