Much is said - and rightly so - about the Vel' d'Hiv' Roundup of July 16-17 1942 and the infamous role played by French policemen, who acted as enforcers for the Nazis in this mass arrest of Jews of all ages prior to deportation to concentration camps. Less talked about is - which is a pity - the failed round-up of Jews in Nancy on July 19, when only around thirty of the two hundred and thirty "hoped-for" people were actually apprehended. A feat to be attributed to a branch of the French police, the Service des Étrangers (Foreigners' Department), headed by Édouard Vigneron, whose courageous members undertook to warn the targets in time for them to escape, thus saving the honor of the corporation.
As directed by Patrick Volson ("Paroles d'otages", "Le voyage de Pénélope"), the TV film "A Time for Honor" appears as a vibrant tribute to Vigneron (here called Vigne) and his courageous team, reporting their story faithfully, even if the script contains elements of fiction. These changes mainly concern the creation of the character of police inspector Lucas Barois, Edouard Vigne's childhood friend who, partly for reasons forced on him, proves more and more treacherous, of Gallot (a former outlaw turned enforcer of the Pétain and Hitler "law") and of a wait-and-see member of Vigne's team. These additions are welcome not only as they enhance dramatic impact but also because they synthesize - while the characters remain human - the moral choices of the times, namely active collaboration, unchosen or passive collaboration, or heroic resistance.
The two lead actors play in a less light-hearted register than they are accustomed to, but prove perfectly convincing. Daniel Russo ("Neuf mois", "Qu'est-ce qu'on a tous fait au bon Dieu?") displays an impressive quiet strength, while Martin Lamotte ("Les bronzés", "Papy fait de la résistance") brilliantly goes from being an easy-going friendly fellow to an ill-at-ease more or less reluctant traitor. The evenly matched cast is equally commendable, with special mention for Thierry Gibault (Fouquier-Tinville in "Charlotte Corday"), who relishingly takes on the role of Gallot, that scoundrel released from the prisons of the Republic with the "mission" to give free rein to his baser instincts. Just think of the sadistic lechery with which he manhandles a young Jewish girl whose papers he checks... really chilling.
"A Time for Honor" is a worthy and essential work, which honors both the heroes whose story it tells and those who tell it. A must-see, particularly in these troubled times, when the values of Humanism and the Enlightenment are too often swept under the carpet in favor of a very dangerous radicalism.
