La Bicyclette Bleue

se the pictures, read the story.

La Bicyclette Bleue (eng: The Blue Bicycle)

Produced bye: Thierry Binisti for  France 2, France 3 and Geteve.  Produced in 2000.for Franc television. (the most expensive European production  at the moment) 

Based on Regine Deforge’s bestseller. 

With  Laetitia Casta as Lea Delmas, Georges Corraface as Francois Tavernier, Virgile Bayle as Laurent A, Silvia De Saints as Camillie, Jean-Claude Brialy as Raphaël Mahl and many more.

This is a nice picture

The film starts right before WW2 in 1939/40. Lea Delmas (18) lives with her family at her family's vineyard in Montillac. She is in deep love with Laurent, whom she has loved since she was a kid. When she tells him,  he lets her down. Laurent is in love with Camille, Lea’s best friend. All this is coming up at her 18th birthday. One good thing happens that day, she gets a nice blue bicycle from her father. The war is drawing nearer to France and Laurent is going to Paris with Camillie. Laurent is a lieutenant in the army and will soon be sent to the frontline. Because of war Laurent & Camille decide to engage. At the arrangement  Lea tells him that she loves him, and that she will get him back.

And another bike picture of Lea.

Lea and Camillie.

 After Laurent and Camillie goes to Paris Lea comes after, only to find out he has already married Camille, and they are expecting a child. (Time is running fast in this film, five years in 4.5 hours) Lea is totally broken, she didn't get a chance to win him at all.  At the same time she meets the mysterious François -a friend of Laurent. He tells he is working  for the government.  He goes right on and starts to win Lea's heart (only a few minutes after they met). Lea is not interested. She thinks he is stupid, and right now all her thoughts are with Laurent.  

Lea in Paris.

Laurent tells Lea that he is married.

Lea in Paris.

It's done. Little Laurent.

The rush for home.

 Lea and François in his car on the way back home.

Soon German soldiers come to Lea's family home (a big vineyard with a rather big house) The soldiers occupies some of the rooms in the house.  Lea is rather hard to Camille, whom she thinks has stolen her love- the love  she never is willing to give up.  She meets Francois again at a cafe, and cant quite find out what he is doing. Has he joined the Germans, or.. ? She confronts him about her suspicions, but the reply is rather dull. In an explosive scene they make love again. Laurent, who has been captured by the Germans, has managed to escape and arrives Montillac. He then meets his son for the first time. Avoiding getting shot, Laurent has to stay low, and gets hidden in their big house. Lea tells Laurent that she still loves him and will do so forever. (at this moment its difficult to know what Laurent feels) 

Laurent, Leas father and uncle joins the résistance, and when Lea finds out she joins them too. Lea is soon one of them, using her blue bike to deliver messages around. It's dangerous work, as Gestapo and some of the French bad guys is making life hard.  

Lea’s sister falls in love with the German captain living in their house. And when the soldiers leave for Russia she is pregnant. A shock for Lea’s father.  At this time Matthias, Lea's friend from childhood, has come home from prison in Germany. He loves Lea and wants to marry  her, but she declines, since she doesn't love him. He can't quite realize it. Lea joins her sister and her sisters newborn baby in Paris. On a party with Raphael (a friend she meets in Paris, some earlier )  they meet the mysterious man Francois again. (he also seems to be a  friend of Raphael ) He is together with some German officer. Lea is confused and  suspects him for working for the Germans, but, as Francois says, things are not always as they seem . The next day Raphael comes to her door wounded, in need of help getting away. Lea invites him to  Montillac. On their way back home she is shocked to find out that Matthias has joined the Germans. Before they leave, Lea gets a radio transmitter from the resistance, she is to take it home for use in her group. When they get home, Gestapo finds out about the radio. Raphael takes her place and gets arrested, and are later  killed by the Gestapo.

Laurent is ordered to London by the French resistance, and Lea who has had hard times the last year- seeing many people she loves getting killed-embraces Laurent, only to get caught  by Camille. Camille is shocked, she thinks Lea is taking Laurent from her. She gets disappointed and angry. Lea is broken, (you will feel sorry for her now) Of course Laurent tells the truth; he loves Camille. But he also tells that he has grown up with Lea and they are inseparable. For Lea, things are going from bad to worse. She visits Laurent at his hiding place before he goes to London. They start touching each other and soon they make love. (she is afraid to not see him again, and she still love him) On the way back home that night Matthias is waiting for her, and rapes her right in front of her home, Montillac.  

End of Part two.

Francois in Paris.

Of course her father finds out about it. And with the help of the résistance they strike back. They attack (her father and some men) a place where the bad ones are staying. During the attack some of the bad ones are killed, included a German officer. Matthias manages to get away. Next day the German army strikes back with  taking on some citizens and threaten to execute them at 18.00-  if not the responsible turn in. Lea’s father, can't let this happen and goes to town for giving him self in. At the same time it comes to some action. Relatives of the victims try to set them free and it comes to an exchange of fire.  And Lea’s father  is hit by a deadly shot before he can tell the truth. Lea comes only to find  her dead father straight after….. now she is all alone, there is not much left of the strong girl you meet at the beginning of the film. A little later she is asleep at home when Francois comes by, he has heard the news, he can't tell why or how he knows, but writes down his address to Lea.

After a while Gestapo finds out about Camille and Laurent, they arrest Camille and torture her. Lea visits her at the prison and understands that Camille will not survive for much longer. She has to do something. Lea goes to Paris to find Francois with German officers. She does not know what to believe, is he with the enemy? Francois tells Lea that he has done what he can to help Camillie, but he can't get her out of prison. At night they make love, she tells him about what happened between her and Laurent and what Matthias did. Before she leaves for home he asks her for a meeting after the war. The answer he gets is: "a meeting for the living or for the dead?”  

From the love scene with Francois.

From the love scene with Francois.

Lea and Laurent jr. on the run.

The only thing she can do now is to turn to Matthias who has earlier sold his soul to the Gestapo, and also raped her badly just a short time earlier. This time she gives herself to him "willingly",  in exchange for Camille's freedom. He takes her, and you can clearly see her pain and deep sorrow.

At least Matthias keeps his word, Camillie is coming home to Lea and little Laurent jr. The year is now 1944, and Gestapo is working hard to get rid of the resistance. They find out about Lea, Camille and the résistance, and come after them. This time Lea is lucky, they get warned and manages to flee  Montillac just before the soldiers come.  They join a résistance group and hide there. She now starts an active role with the resistance. One night she meets the unknown leader of the resistance. ''Mayenne'', the head of the resistance of the South-western network to which Lea's group belongs:  is no other than Francois. Now at last, she knows, he is on the right side. Francois, who from the beginning has told her straight forward that he loves her has to go back to Paris.

One fine morning, the resistance gets caught by the French Gestapo men. A hard fight starts. Camille gets killed when she runs for her little boy. Leas uncle dies too, when he throws his body over a hand grenade. Matthias is among the attackers, and find himself close to kill his own father who is among the résistance. He turns against his own Gestapo friends and has to flee. In the action, Lea manages to flee herself with little Laurent. She finds Matthias dying. She is the last  thing he's ever seeing, and the last words he  can hear is Lea’s desperate words “what has this war done with us, Matthias.”

Lea flies far away with little Laurent, and after some days they are standing face to face with a bunch of soldiers. This time it’s the US-Army, on their way to Paris. For France and Lea the war is over, she is glad but empty inside. In Paris she finds Laurent with the other soldiers, he is so glad to see Lea and his son, but not so glad when he finds out what happened to his wife.

Lea and Laurent jr. on the run.

The Americans has arrived.

From the liberty of Paris.

Lea and Laurent jr. in Paris

End of Part three.

Lea outside her home.

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Kindly translated to English by GOLDFINGER.

My personal opinion: The film is absolutely worth seen, it's exciting and very good made. I think this film shows clearly that Laetitia Casta is a great actor if she get the right role.