Le Mot de Cambronne

Mrs Cambronne, of British origin, to whom the famous ‘remark’ made by her husband, General Pierre Cambronne, has been much recounted, presses her husband with questions in an attempt to discover its meaning. But the general refuses to offer any explanation and remains silent. An adaptation of Sacha Guitry’s play of the same name, also written in 1936. Released in cinemas on 26 March 1937 at the Cinéma Normandie in Paris’s 8th arrondissement. The film was shot in a single afternoon on November 19, 1936, featuring the four actors who had originally performed the play on stage. The props came from the theater and were returned there that same evening. As Guitry explains at the beginning of his film, this production is dedicated to the memory of Edmond Rostand, who suggested the subject of the play—on which the film is based—to the author of “Mot de Cambronne.”

Directed by Sacha Guitry, Le Mot de Cambronne leans on a strong ensemble — Sacha Guitry, Marguerite Moreno, Pauline Carton — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1937.