STK-ID 21415

Liberation of Paris: three HAS ESTABLISHING SHOTS of Paris, Eiffel Tower; one of the main thoroughfares. Oblique AERIAL SHOT of military convoy on a country road. Cut to explosion in a town. War commandant taking a picture as a US soldier stands by. Two shots of tracks of Sherman tanks moving by the camera. Cut to CU of tank gun firing. HAS of group of French officers and enlisted men discussing strategy in a jeep. Two more shots of tank gun firing from shelter of bushes. Sequence of American soldiers, or French soldiers in American uniforms, moving through a town as residents cheer and wave; tanks, trucks, an ambulance. Sequence on street fighting, soldiers firing rifles, machine guns, LAS of sign: "Chambre des députés" over entrance to public building, a French civilian ambulance flying Red Cross flags speeds past the camera followed by a fire truck. Various shots of soldiers moving in streets, taking cover, firing. Sequence on German officers and enlisted men surrendering, waving white flags, being hustled past the camera. Sequence on huge crowds in streets of Paris, people seen in HASs, CUs of waving, shouting, laughing as French army, using American equipment, enters city. Sequence on Charles De Gaulle arriving, marching in street with party of officers. Huge crowds line route, police, Boy Scouts try to hold back the crowd. Sequence on incident initiated by a sniper; people running in streets, hiding behind armoured vehicles along with soldiers. CU of man holding submachine gun at the ready, scanning upper stories of buildings along street. Shots of people rescuing a couple of casualties, putting them on makeshift stretchers. Sequence on helmeted police escorting a couple of collaborationists through crowd of maddened Parisians. HAMs of crowd trying to reach collaborationists, some succeeding in hitting and bloodying the men. CUs of one of the men enduring a lot of abuse, shoving, blows by the crowd while a knot of men do their best to protect him. HALSs of crowd in street, one with the US and the French flags flying in foreground. LAS TILT UP inside Arc de Triomphe. Sequence on rejoicing in Montreal, with a few shots of people in a park, a statue of a winged woman. Short shots of speeches by Senator Pamphile Du Tremblay, Mayor Adhémar Raynault, Commander Bonneau, French representative in Canada. Sequences on fireworks, some quite close to the camera. Final shot of General Charles De Gaulle's likeness in lights.

DETAILS

Excerpt from
Reportages nº 79
Location
Paris (France), Montreal
Year
1944
Collection
National Film Board
Available formats
Digital Bétacam, Reel 35 mm, Digital Video Disk
Shooting format
35mm fine grain b&w, 16mm fine grain b&w
Aspect ratio
4/3
Available resolutions
720 x 486