Un Soir de Joie1955

In the 1930s, Gaston Schoukens was renowned as a writer of popular Brussels comedies. With Un Soir de Joie, he enjoyed one final major success. The film, based on a true story of a Resistance operation in November 1943, recounts how the Belgian Resistance distributed a forged issue of the pro-German newspaper Le Soir, full of mockery and parody of the occupying forces. It is striking that Schoukens largely avoids the hardships of war, opting instead for a light-hearted approach in the tradition of Tijl Uilenspiegel. Yet the film is not purely cheerful: a few bittersweet moments reveal that the war had left its mark even on this comedy.

This screening will be introduced by film history lecturer Gertjan Willems.

Film-Plateau