Monsieur Batignole

Comic drama set in Nazi occupied Paris during the summer of 1942. Mr Batignole is the owner of a French delicatessen. The well-to-do Jewish family Bernstein lives in the apartment above his. On the day that the family is supposed to escape to Switzerland, they are taken to a transit camp by the French police who are working in collaboration with the Nazis. Their final destination is Auschwitz The youngest son manages to escape and one evening appears at Mr Batignole’s door. Barignole, who had felt badly about the family’s fate, hides the child along with two Jewish girls, in the housekeeper’s quarters. Later he decides to take the children himself to safety in Switzerland. The actor Jean-Paul Rouve won the Cesar Prize for his performance.