"In the exact locations where France suffered and victoriously fought for the world's freedom," "Léon Poirier, helped by veterans, shot this account between 1927 and 1928." "The historical figures in this film are represented through documents." "The fictional characters created by the filmmaker are played by:" "To all the martyrs to man's most terrible passion:" "WAR" "LOOKING AT HISTORY" "First vision:" "MIGHT" "February 1916 all clear on the front." "Those who left." "Those who wait." "THE MOTHER" "THE SON" "THE INTELLECTUAL" "Your brother wants to enlist..." "THE REGION OF VERDUN" "THE CAURES WOODS" "We've been here for 15 months..." "in this secure area..." "Russia is defeated, the Serbians are crushed, and now the Hohenzollern are heading towards France..." "Don't worry, we're better off in Verdun than in Champagne." "THE FRENCH SOLDIER" "What are they saying in Paris?" "Don't they know the Kronprinz is going to attack us?" "Verdun has been evacuated..." "Samogneux, Vacherauville, Bras, Fleury..." "We're bound to move camp when we get to Vacherauville." "The Kronprinz, whose armies were about to attack Verdun, had his HQ in Stenay, in the Chateau des Tilleuls..." "An lmperial visit brings serious news." "THE GERMAN OFFICER" "THE GERMAN SOLDIER" "Wait for me in the mess." "I'll go by foot." "THE OLD MARSHAL OF THE EMPIRE" "We, William, Emperor and King, announce that Germany is forced to begin an offensive." "Our will of iron will bring us victory and defeat the enemy!" "We hereby give you the order to attack!" "French" "German" "250,000 men 1,852 canons" "130,000 men." "By progressing rapidly along the right bank of the Meuse, we've taken 200,000 prisoners:" "The Sedan of World War I!" "I think of those who will suffer." ""War and courage have done more great things than charity."" "Get everything prepared for tomorrow morning at 6 a.m." "We're going in search of GLORY!" "THE OLD FARMER" "THE WIFE" "THE HUSBAND" "THE YOUNG GIRL" "From that moment on, the first dreadful canon blast could be heard at any moment." "FEBRUARY 19" "FEBRUARY 20" "FEBRUARY 21" "In order to leave one Frenchman standing the dead would have to rise again." "The fire storm showered down upon the Caures woods." "What were the "75's" doing?" "Direct hit on the Colonel's hideout!" "This is Colonel Driant's HQ in the Caures woods..." "Lt. Petitcollot has been killed..." "The Colonel wants to know what's happening to the left, in the Haumont woods." "17:00." "The bombing seems to be subsiding." "The Haumont Woods were taken." "The Germans launched their attacks on the former French positions, to surround the Caures woods." "Captain!" "The dead have come back to life!" "But, waves of men moving into the annihilated trenches enter into the far end of the Caures woods and take the enemy from the rear." "One against five." "The Driant chasseurs counter attack and in the night, Lt. Robin and his remaining troops succeed in reinstating their front lines." "At midnight, Lt. Colonel DRIANT... comes to see Lt. ROBIN." "The situation on February 21 at 22:00." "The front at the beginning of the attack." "The German advance." "What will I do with my 80 soldiers?" "My poor Robin, you must stay here." "Adieu Robin, perhaps we'll meet again..." "Meanwhile, the sacrifice of the 30th Corps Driant chasseurs and General Herr's entire small army allowed for reinforcement to quickly arrive." "In the early hours the Germans destroyed the Chalons-Verdun front." "But from Bar-le-Duc to Verdun, the French created a new route:" "THE SACRED WAY" "THE YOUNG MAN" "The 20th infantry is arriving." "We're from the 7th." "We're from Vacherauville..." "My husband's in the Caures woods... 59th division..." "If you could give him this note..." "He's in the Caures woods!" "Before day, Captain Vantroys, liaison officer, brings the latest news from Lt. Colonel Driant." "GG1 intact, 1 st and second line GG2 lost..." "A counter attack?" "With whom?" "No more reserve soldiers." "The Driant chasseurs were left to die." "On Feb. 22 at 16:00, Col. Driant had 70 men left." "Lt. Simon and a few others, in charge of the retreat, withdrew." "Lt. Colonel Driant dies amongst his chasseurs while defending France." ""The first page had been written"" "on the shattered land of what would become, in the history of the victory of Verdun, the immortal symbol" ""of French valor and tenacity."" "(Verdun." "The first shock)" "And what happened to my boy?" "The front was penetrated." "On February 23  24, the invaders were able to tighten their grip." "OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. 23:00" "In the region of North Verdun, the enemy has bombed our front from the Meuse to Fromezey." "The enemy has multiplied its furious attacks leaving heaps of corpses without breaking our front." "We've moved our line on both sides." "Back from Samogneux towards Vacherauville as well as from South Ornes." "OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE" "Our troops are holding their positions despite repeated assaults by an enemy who no longer counts its dead." "In Woevre, the withdrawal of our outposts took place without trouble from the enemy." "In the west of the Meuse, no infantry activity." "THE WOEVRE PLAIN" "What is the truth?" "The German cavalry at the gates of Verdun." "Withdrawal on the left bank of the Meuse." "Abandon of Verdun" "Paris in danger." "DISASTER" "Gen. Joffre Commander In Chief." "February 25, 1916 at 23:55" "I gave an order to hold out on the right bank of the Meuse, in the North of Verdun." "Anyone who gives an order of withdrawal shall be put before the war council." "And the 20th Corps marched above the Germans hordes... on the Hauts-de-Meuse overlooking the Douaumont fort." "DOUAUMONT FORT" "Douaumont has fallen!" "DOUAUMONT HAS FALLEN" "WOLFF AGENCY" "Douaumont..." "Corner stone of the defense of Verdun..." "Verdun..." "The heart of France..." "SEPARATE PEACE AGREEMENT WITH FRANCE." "VICTORY" "In eight days, the Emperor will review the troops at the Place des Armes in Verdun, and the war will be over." "That day in the small village of Souilly, a General took command of the new French forces who were hastily gathering around Verdun..." "General Pétain." "THEY SHALL NOT PASS" "END of the first vision." "Second vision:" "HELL." "Yet, April came and Spring brought life back to earth." "The ghosts from Mort-Homme..." "Sleep... wash" "eat" "live." "Were you the one who gave me a letter in February?" "Love" "I'm sure it's still at Mort-Homme..." "That's where we were..." "Mort-Homme and Hill 304 held out." "The German advance has stopped on the left bank of the Meuse as it had been on the right bank." "The French army blocked the road to the Germans." "General Pétain was called to a superior position and named General Nivelle on May 2nd." "Commander in chief of the Verdun army continuously replaced in the endless cycle: "Noria"." "REST AREA" "AND THE REGROUPING OF FORCES" "Truck Circuit." "Normal manpower division." "The last battle of the War of 1870 took place in Paris." "The present war will end in Verdun." "Verdun will be a major victory." "(Emperor William II harangues the 18th Corps:" "(April 16, 1916)" "These French are appallingly stubborn in their resistance!" "What are our men doing?" "Where is the old army?" "I was flag-bearer in 1870." "What a war!" "A victory per day!" "But we had Moltke!" "Your Excellence, today we got our Hindenburg!" "Still 6 more army Corps and Verdun will fall without fail." "First, take Vaux Fort!" "MAP OF VAUX FORT" "SIDE VIEW OF VAUX FORT" "Under the command of Commander Raynal, the fort was occupied by the 7th Company of the 101st IR" "5th, 7th and 8th of the 142nd IR." "On June 2, 1916 at 2 a." "M..." "The 7th Company is alerted in front of the fort." "That day, the 7th Company of the 142nd IR is annihilated and its Commander," "Captain Tabourot, was brought back fatally wounded to the blockhouse." "The fort was surrounded." "News arrives on June 3rd at the Verdun Citadel." "We're hanging on but are attacked by dangerous gases." "Imperative to move." "Get news to Souville." "This is my last pigeon." "Raynal." "The only means of communication with the fort is by optical morse." "Souville fort saw it." "I'm almost out of water..." "Gas!" "Another attempt to escape." "The German barrage starts." "Some men were able to get through." "The French front lines are 200 meters away." "Those who escaped bring precious information to the troops preparing a counter attack." "The fort's garrison could be useful in this operation." "But we must inform them." "I'm going back." "(Officer cadet BUFFET)" "So am I. (Sergeant FRETTE)" "A few hours later, the walled-in men heard some "75's" give a blast of hope." "6:00." "No news of attack." "6:20." "The fort speaks." "Without achieving its goal..." "The attack had failed." "June 6th. 3:50." "Hold the line..." "These were the last words." "Today Vaux, tomorrow Thiaumont, in 8 days:" "Verdun!" "In 8 days..." "The capture of Fort Vaux allowed the Germans to attack the Ouvrage of Thiaumont blocking them from Souville, the last of Verdun's ramparts." "In the ruins of Verdun, the French divisions prepare themselves for the shock." "Hello Lieutenant, you're back?" "Vacherauville, the Caures woods..." "You were Sergeant." "I say if they haven't come back yet, they won't be coming today." "Everyone to the Citadel!" "Sector Number 1!" "Dearest Mother, we're heading out." "It'll be my first battle." "It's a joy to know I'm fighting, to stop suffering, not spread it." "I've enlisted to defend the country which has shaped my thoughts." "But I want to fight without hatred." "THE CHAPLAIN" "Watch over him, Chaplain, for Mother will be sorrowful." "Lieutenant, reinforcements have just arrived... back to Germany via Holland... a round trip!" "My enemy pursues me." "He crushes me to the ground." "He makes me dwell in darkness like those long dead." "My spirit is fading..." "My heart is bursting with fear." "Death doesn't come to those who stare it in its eyes." "Thiaumont is taken..." "The Lieutenant is still there badly wounded..." "Mom!" "Mom!" "END of the second vision." "Third vision:" "FATE." "TODAY ME" "TOMORROW YOU" "A canon can destroy Hours, but it can't stop the hand of Fate from ruling Time." "The Russians Invade Bukovine." "A massive round-up." "Marching in Czernowitz." "The conqueror." "Meanwhile, near Artois, the echo of the Cossaks' horses is heard." "The battle of The Somme was drawing near." "The King of England and Mr. Poincaré," "President of the French Republic, review the troops who will be fighting for a common purpose." "But the enemy was waiting near by..." "And as of June 15th, the attacks against Verdun multiplied ferociously." "In endangered Verdun, the Territorial Armies prepared their defensive "à la Saragosse"." "FRENCH CITIZENS!" "Happy are those who return alive from the Hell of Verdun." "And this letter... haven't you been read this one?" "The moment is crucial." "Feeling hunted on all sides, the Germans launch attacks on our front in hope of reaching Verdun before being attacked themselves by the allied forces." "You will not let them pass, my comrades!" "General Nivelle" "July 1st, 1916." "THE FRENCH-BRITISH ARMIES" "HAVE ATTACKED THE FRONT" "OF THE SOMME" "The Commander won't be deflected from his goal:" "Verdun!" "Sizable reserves of men can still be put into play!" "A large-scale operation will be launched against the last line of defense of Verdun." "The first objective:" "Souville Fort." "They will continue to advance until the outskirts of Verdun on the right bank of the Meuse." "Forces engaged:" "1st and 2nd Bavarian Corps, 15th Corps, Alpine Corps," "19th, 1st and 2nd Division." "In the morning, the living disappear into Chaos." "Emergency." "Send exact position of the German front-lines between the Vaux-Chapitre woods and the "chemin de fer Meusien"." "Information requested by the Division." "The Vaux-Chapitre woods?" "The "chemin de fer Meusien"?" "The Germans?" "Send sketch immediately of the French positions between the Vaux-Chapitre woods and the chemin de fer Meusien." "The Germans attack Souville Fort and the last Verdun defense line." "(July 12th, 1916)" "HOLDING ON..." "Around 15:00, the Germans reach the slopes of the Souville Fort." "Onward and upward for the Emperor and the Empire!" "Counter attack." "On July 12th, the Kronprinz's last lmperial troops were annihilated as they attempted to conquer Verdun." "Forced to face the French-British advance, on the Somme front, the enemy had to stop its advance." "The Kronprinz's attack fails at the heroic citadel." "Hail the soldiers of Verdun..." "The wings of victory start to open." "NAVARRE appears in the dark Verdun sky." "The storks are leaving!" "That means a storm is brewing!" "October came." "After 8 months of efforts, the French canons are ready to fight back." "October 24th, 1916," "The upper reaches of the Meuse is covered in thick fog..." "At 13:00, the fog clears, blown away by a west wind that passed through all of France's provinces..." "The heroes of the Colonial Infantry are the first to reach the fort." "The liberators' enthusiasm was fueled by the man who had lead them into battle:" "General Mangin." "Officers, NCO's of Mangin's task force, in just 4 hours in one glorious attack... you had taken away from your powerful enemy, the land bristling with obstacles and fortresses from the north-east of Verdun," "that took them 8 long months to take from you." "FRANCE IS PROUD OF ITS SONS" "In the recapture of Douaumont fort" "November 2nd, 1916" "DAY OF THE DEAD" "Pray for THEM." "They'll always be alive in our thoughts." "Under the pressure of Lardemelle's division, the Germans evacuate the Vaux fort on November 2nd." "In truth, it should be given back to the dead." "(Captain Henry Bordeaux)" "I herewith renounce for all time claims to the throne of Prussia and to the German lmperial throne connected therewith." "Amerongnen, November 28th, 1918." "Signed William" "and from city to city... and from steeple to steeple." "THE END"