God Needs Men

God Needs Men
Film poster
Directed by	Jean Delannoy
Written by	Jean Aurenche Pierre Bost
Based on	Un recteur de l'Île de Sein by Henri Queffelec
Produced by	Paul Graetz
Starring	Pierre Fresnay Madeleine Robinson Daniel Gélin
Cinematography	Robert Lefebvre
Edited by	James Cuenet
Music by	René Cloërec
Production company	Transcontinental Films
Distributed by	Twentieth Century Fox
Release date	4 October 1950 (1950-10-04)
Running time	100 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

God Needs Men (French: Dieu a besoin des hommes) is a 1950 French historical drama film directed by Jean Delannoy and starring Pierre Fresnay, Madeleine Robinson and Daniel Gélin. The film is based on a 1944 novel Un recteur de l'Île de Sein by Henri Queffelec. It was shot at the Billancourt Studios in Paris. Location shooting took place on the Île de Sein off Finistère in Brittany. The film's sets were designed by the art director René Renoux.

It was originally due to be the French entry at the 1950 Venice Film Festival but it was withdrawn due to fears that its subject might offend the Catholic Church. However due to its popularity, including amongst Catholics, it was accepted for screening at the Festival anyway.^[1] At the 1951 Berlin Film Festival it won the Special Prize for an Excellent Film Achievement.^[2]

Plot[]

On a rugged, poverty stricken island off the coast of Brittany many of the inhabitants spend their time as wreckers preying on shipwrecks. Their wildness forces the parish priest to take refuge on the mainland. A fisherman steps forwards to take his place and tries to uphold religion on the island.

Cast[]

• Pierre Fresnay as Thomas Gourvennec
• Madeleine Robinson as Jeanne Gourvennec
• Daniel Gélin as Joseph le Berre
• Antoine Balpêtré as Le père Gourvennec, un pêcheur
• Germaine Kerjean as Mme Kerneis
• Sylvie as Coise Karbacen
• Jean d'Yd as Corentin Gourvennec
• Daniel Ivernel as François Guillen
• Raphaël Patorni as Jules
• Lucienne Bogaert as Anaïs Le Berre
• Marcel Delaître as M. Kerneis
• as Yves Lannuzel
• Charles Bouillaud as Le gendarme
• René Génin as Le père d'Yvon
• Jean Brochard as L'abbé Kerhervé, le recteur de Lescoff
• Jean Carmet as Yvon
• Andrée Clément as Scholastique Kerneis
• Marcelle Géniat as La mère Gourvennec
• as Le brigadier
• as La vieille
• Albert Michel as Le Bail
• Jean-Pierre Mocky as Pierre
• as Un pêcheur

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Johnson, William Bruce. Miracles & Sacrilege: Roberto Rossellini, the Church and Film Censorship in Hollywood. University of Toronto Press, 2008.

External links[]

• God Needs Men at IMDb

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