This little gem gives us an interesting sociological view - showing the reaction and behaviour of the French people during the last days before the Nazi occupation of their country. The film shows us how normal, undistinguished Frenchmen, military personnel included, retained a sense of decency in the face of the "debacle", the rapid conquest of their country by the German army. They did not necessarily like the refugees in their charge, nor were they pro-semitic (like most French people at the time, most of them were probably mildly anti-semitic), but they were decent people, and they knew of the dangers awaiting those refugees once the Germans arrived. It is interesting to note that a higher percentage of Jews survived in France than in any other German-occupied country - again a testament of the decency of this much-maligned people. Watch Ticky Holgado as the "midi" army captain who follows his humane orders - to get the train to Bayonne - without actually evincing interest in the refugees themselves, a true Frenchman as has ever been presented on screen.
Review of Les Milles
