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Resistance

RĂ©sistance

MINI SERIES 6 x 52'
War / Action/Adventure / Drama

COMPLETED

Suspenseful and perilous lives of young freedom fighters, under the German occupation of France in WWII
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Directed by

David Delrieux (Orteguy, Flowers for Algernon)

Miguel Courtois (Crime Squad, Skate or Die, El Lobo)

Starring

Pauline Burlet (The Past, La vie en Rose)
CĂ©sar Domboy (Borgia, The Princess of Montpensier)
Tom Hudson (Resistance, Malavita)
Richard Berry (22 Bullets, The Valet, Ruby & Quentin)
Fanny Ardant (Bright Days Ahead, 8 Women)
Isabelle Nanty (The Tuche Family)

Production

Gaumont Télévision - Isabelle Degeorges & Légende - Alain Goldman

2014 / Original language: French / Color / 1.77 / Stereo / available in hd

Lili is 17 years old. In occupied France, she encounters war before love, and joins the Resistance. Through the interconnecting destinies of its teenage heroes, Resistance tells the story of young people going to any lengths to defend their country.

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Screenplay: Dan Franck (Spin, Carlos, Sir Max, Silk & Ashes, Jean Moulin, a Hero's Destiny)

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PRODUCERS’ INTENT

French fiction has often been inspired by the Résistance Movement, and has retraced the stories of some of its most illustrious protagonists: Jean Moulin, General de Gaulle, Raymond and Lucie Aubrac couple… but the fate of young Resistance fighters remains relatively unknown to the general public. Légende’s ambition, in making Résistances! is to pay homage to these youths who, even if they were not instrumental in the liberation of France, nonetheless contributed, from the first hours of the Occupation, to saving its honor.

From Paris to Bordeaux, from the North Region to the maquis of the Southwest, a handful of young people driven by a visceral urge, unite against the German oppressor and French collaborators. Overseen by a few adults, who do their best to temper their adolescent fervor, these young Resistance fighters commit unconditionally to serving a cause way beyond their years. Their missions are many and varied: from finding a safe place to print illegal newspapers to rescuing English aviators who have gone down in France, and safely getting them to the Spanish border, or breaking out comrades held captive by the French police, attacking German patrols…

But the battle is uneven: these few youths, whose means of action are rudimentary at best, struggle against a ruthless enemy. The bonds of friendship and sometimes love, that form among members of the group are tragically severed by the occupant’s pitiless repression. As events unfold, many are those who fall in the hands of the Germans, are commonly punished with torture and death. It is the terrible fate of these young heroes of the shadows that we wish to convey.

As for the survivors, they walk away from their years of commitment with a kind of bitterness. In 1944, after four years of clandestine struggle, 21-year-old Lili, the series’ heroin, confides in her young friend Jeannot, 19: “When I came back to Paris and saw people strolling in the sunshine, lovers kissing, life going on, I realized I too wanted to have a taste of that…” Conscious of having grown up too fast, Lili becomes determined to make her teenage dreams come true, “go to the movies, take walks with a boy, satisfy my hunger. Not much! Except that I haven’t done any of that in four years…”

With the support of AERI, the French Resistance Foundation, Résistances! faithfully revisits the fate of these unknown actors of WWII’s history.

The series, comprised of 6 x 52’ episodes, is coproduced by Légende and Gaumont Télévision, and will air on TF1 on the 70th anniversary of the Liberation.

Isabelle DEGEORGES (Gaumont Télévision) / Alain GOLDMAN (Légende)

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Episode 1

Paris, the night of November 11th, 1940 (Armistice Day). LILI, 17, and CHRISTINA, 24, place a spray of flowers at the foot of Clemenceau’s statue. Pursued by French police, Lili is caught, while Christina manages to get away.

Bethune, Pas-de-Calais region: As she drives a van toward Paris, SYLVETTE LELEU, 30s, and THE KID, 17, are busy planning the escape from France of three British aviators.

Back in Paris, the climate is electric. Many are the college and high school students who, despite the German authorities’ strict prohibition, have taken to the streets to demonstrate their opposition to the occupant. Finally released by the French police, Lili heads for the Musée de l’Homme museum, where she works as a typist for the ethnologist BORIS VILDE, an attractive Russian in his 30s, also known in the Resistance circles as Monsieur Jacques. Boris and the museum’s director PAUL RIVET, 60, along with the attorneys NORDMANN and WEIL-CURIEL (both in their 30s), the librarian YVONNE ODON, the historian AGNES HUMBERT and the anthropologist LEWITSKI, form the Musée de l’Homme resistance network. Together, they are actively preparing the next issue of the rebel newspaper Résistance.

Once they’ve reached Paris, Sylvette and The Kid drive the aviators to a secure location. One of them is dropped off at a dispensary, another is taken to the home of The Contessa, an elegant woman in her forties, and the third is hidden by PAULETTE, the kindly madam of a brothel.

That evening, as she exits the Musée de l’Homme, Lili runs into a group of youths who are being chased by the Germans. Among them, she meets CLAUDE LALET (20) and his fiancée NINETTE, as well as the fearless JEANNOT (15). It’s almost curfew and Lili doesn’t have the time to get home. She follows the small group to the home of their friends ANDRÉ and BERNARD KIRCHEN (15 and 17), who live with their Jewish Rumanian parents, Mr. and Mrs. KIRCHEN. Lili spends the night there with her new friends. Jeannot talks to her about his determination to get to London.

Next morning, in a Parisian café, Sylvette writes her children, whom she hasn’t seen in a long while… to tell them their father has died. She sends The Kid to the home of The Contessa, where he is to meet with Monsieur Jacques. Meanwhile, the French police burst into the Kirchen home and arrest Bernard, accused of having distributed “Communist” tracts. Claude insults them by calling them collaborators and is also booked. Shocked, Lili joins Boris at The Contessa’s, where counterfeit papers are being manufactured for the three British aviators. In four days, they are to cross the demarcation line via Vierzon, in Southwest France. From there, they will head to Spain, Portugal and London. The only thing missing is someone to accompany them. Lili volunteers. That’s when The Kid arrives at The Contessa’s and meets Boris.

Finally back home, a modest garret she shares with her roommate Cristina, Lili gets a visit from her parents who, having found out their daughter has been involved in “communist” marches, want to take her back to Nice, in the South of France. Lili refuses. Powerless to change her mind, Lili’s parents leave.

Next day, on the train to Vierzon, as she escorts the three British aviators (now disguised as civilians), Lili encounters Jeannot, who is as determined as ever to get to London. Lili and the three Englishmen reach Vierzon, where they are hidden by an abbot, who takes them to the banks of the river Cher the very next day. From there, a smuggler leads them to the Free Zone. Lili returns to Paris.

Paris. At the Musée de l’Homme museum, Rivet, Boris, Weil-Curiel and Nordmann are busy printing the very first issue of Résistance, “it may be small but it carries huge hope!” Rivet finds out that the Vichy government has removed him from his position, which means the group will have to find a new location and a new press to print their paper. The Kid heads to Le Fer à Cheval (The Horseshoe), a friendly bistro managed by Mrs. ELEK (40s, mother to young TOMMY). This is where Cristina writes Unzer Wort, a Yiddish resistance paper. There, The Kid offers Lili a mission, handed down by Boris. She immediately accepts.

In her Bethune garage, Sylvette is about to drive four new escaped Britons to Paris, when she learns that the German authorities have revoked her Ausweis, the necessary authorization to drive by night. The Kid and Lili get to her, carrying a suitcase filled with copies of Résistance. Sylvette’s new mission: distribute them throughout the North.

Back in Paris, in the Santé penitentiary, André Kirchen and his mother visit Bernard, who is being detained in excruciating conditions. Mrs. Kirchen lets her tears flow, while André loudly expresses his revolt. As they exit, they run into Ninette, who has come to see her fiancé Claude, also incarcerated. The two have decided to get married. Meanwhile, Lili and The Kid slip leaflets in a building’s mailboxes. An infuriated homeowner catches Lili and pushes her down over a banister. Paralyzed by vertigo, Lili is trapped. The Kid rushes to her rescue and manages to set her free. The two of them run off.

It’s Christmas Eve. Boris’ wife, IRENE, who seems to know nothing of her husband’s underground activities, is in need of more food vouchers. Meanwhile, Boris brings The Contessa a piece of good news: he has located another printing press and the second issue of Résistance will soon come out! Christmas night. Despite the restrictions, a festively dressed Boris has prepared a fine meal for his wife and guests, Lili and The Kid. Irene starts to suspect her husband’s illegal activities… She gives The Kid a pair of earrings, so he can give Lili a present. Lili is deeply moved. She wears one on her ear and gives the other to The Kid.

Next day, Boris, Weil-Curiel and Nordmann meet at an abandoned flight club in Aubervilliers, managed by ALBERT GAVEAU (30s). This is where they will print the next issue of Résistance. But none of them suspect that they are being watched from a car parked nearby. Inside, are three Gestapo agents. “I want them all” orders Commander DOERING. The sting operation is scheduled for the next day.


Episode 2

December 1940. Pourtalet Pass in the Pyrenees Mountains. Jeannot is arrested by French customs, as he attempts to cross the border into Spain. Instead, he will spend the next two weeks at the Pau police station.

In Paris, Bernard Kirchen and Claude Lalet “bring in the New Year” at the Santé prison, where they are still incarcerated.

In Aubervilliers, Gaveau and some youths from the flight club are busy printing the second issue of Résistance. Outside, Lili and The Kid spot a French police car that comes to a halt outside the building. The French police storm the flight club and arrest everyone… except for Gaveau, their informant.

The Kid and Lili head for the Musée de l’Homme, to tell Boris what happened. There is no doubt possible: a traitor lurks among them. Furthermore, the police might now find lists of the network’s members. Thankfully, The Kid has taken the precaution of encoding all their addresses… except for that of Weil-Curiel and Nordmann, who must flee. Lili and Gaveau volunteer to escort Weil-Curiel to Brittany, from where he will attempt to reach London. Boris takes Nordmann to the Contessa’s home, where she will hide him.

In Bethune, Sylvette forges an Ausweis, determined to drive the four Englishmen, who have been hiding at her place in Paris for several weeks.

At the Brittany port of Douarnenez, Lili, Weil-Curiel and Gaveau meet with a smuggler. Weil-Curiel and Gaveau are to leave for London at dawn the next day.

At the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, Rivet announces that he is leaving for Colombia. He is too old to resist any more. As for Boris, he will spend two weeks in Southern Zone, making contact with new members of the movement. Meanwhile, Résistance will be published by former NRF (The New French Review) publisher Jean Paulhan, with the help of Pierre Brossolette, Cassou and Aveline.

Douarnenez at dawn. Weil-Curiel and Gaveau, along with a few other youths, are about to board the trawler that is to take them to England, when the Germans suddenly descend upon them. Lili manages to run off in one direction, while Weil-Curiel and Gaveau take off in another. Unaware that Gaveau is a traitor, Weil-Curiel reveals to him that he will head to Toulouse, in hopes of reaching England via Spain. Gaveau decides to return to Paris.

Back in Paris, at the Fer à Cheval, André Kirchen tells The Kid that he too wants to enlist and be part of the Resistance movement. The Kid anxiously awaits Lili’s return. Meanwhile, he encounters Sylvette, who managed to reach Paris with her four escaped Englishmen, without getting caught by the Germans. So far, she has managed to break 117 prisoners out. The symbolic number of 120 is within reach. Determined to be with Lili, The Kid goes to the Musée de l’Homme… where the Gestapo is about to conduct an assault lead by Doering. The Kid rushes in to find Lili, carrying a suitcase. They manage to escape, but are at a loss over where to go, as Cristina’s place would be too risky. Overcoming his deep embarrassment, The Kid takes her to Paulette’s brothel, where the madam lets them use a room for the night. There, Lili reveals to The Kid that she will be heading to Lyon. The Kid makes a confession: “I wish the war were over! I would take you in my arms and never let you go…” he tells her. To which she shyly replies, “We could pretend the war was over, just for tonight”. They hold each other and kiss. It’s their first time.

Meanwhile, the Gestapo captures Nordmann and The Contessa.

Next day, carrying a suitcase filled with copies of Résistance, Lili boards a train to Lyon. She reaches her destination and when she gets off the train, is horrified to see the Germans searching everyone’s luggage. Thankfully, Berty Albrecht, aka VICTORIA, 47, comes to her rescue with her Vichy-stamped pass. Victoria works for the unemployed police station. Her lover is THE CAPTAIN, (30s), a former committed Pétain follower. Together, they escort Lili to the banks of the river Saône, where she meets up with Boris to deliver her suitcase. Résistance has made it from Paris to Lyon! Boris must now get to Toulouse. Lili, meanwhile, heads back to Paris.

In Toulouse, Boris hooks up with Weil-Curiel, still determined to get to London. He then meets with The Kid, who informs him that Yvonne Odon and Lewitsky have been arrested, that Agnes Humbert is no longer leaving her home and that Cassou and Aveline have left Paris. Who is betraying them? Boris decides to return to Paris, in order to publish a new issue of RĂ©sistance and clear the names of those who have fallen. Despite Boris advising him to remain in Free Zone, The Kid reveals his desire to return to Paris and search for the traitor. Jeannot turns up, having made his way from Pau to Toulouse, and as determined as ever to somehow get to London. Boris suggests that, instead, he follow him to the Limousin region.

Boris and Jeannot go to Eymoutiers, near Limoges, to the home of THE PROF. The Prof forges papers for Boris, who makes his way back to Paris without any trouble. Jeannot stays with The Prof, and the two of them head up to the Limousin Mountains “to give the Krauts a hard time”.

Meanwhile, in Toulouse, Weil-Curiel is arrested by the Gestapo – a new deception by the traitor Gaveau.

Back in Paris, Boris is supposed to meet Gaveau in a Pigalle café. Lili and The Kid are also headed there. The Kid approaches the café, but it is being watched by the Germans, who apprehend him as Lili watches helplessly. Inside the café, Boris is engrossed in conversation with Gaveau when Doering and his men descend upon them. Boris is captured. He understands, too late, that Gaveau has betrayed them.

In Bethune, the Gestapo arrests Sylvette. Her children, on their way to spend a holiday with their mother, watch her arrest from afar, in shock. Shoved into a car that quickly drives off, Sylvette can’t even give them one last kiss goodbye.


Episode 3

June 1941. Breaching the German-Russian pact, Germany invades the USSR. In the Fresne prison, Claude and Ninette get married. Ninette tells her new husband that, very soon, he will be set free.

Alone in his cell at the Santé prison, Boris writes a letter to Irene. The Kid, also incarcerated, gets a visit from Lili, who is devastated. He implores her to keep fighting.

Lili and André join a group of young resistance fighters, whose leader is FABIEN, a 21-year-old communist, married and father of an infant girl. Along with Cristina, BRUSTLEIN, TOURETTE, TONDELIER, OUZOULIAS, D’ANDURAIN, GAUTHEROT and TITI, they form the Youth Battalions.

In the Lardy Forest, the young crewmembers practice handling grenades, making Molotov cocktails, train sabotage, etc… They debate over whether one should attack any German soldier, even if he’s just a grunt?

Back in Paris, the Battalions plan their first action against the Germans. On August 13th, 1941, at the Porte St Martin, about thirty youths get together in the street and unfurl banners against the occupying forces, belting out the French national anthem. The Germans soon turn up and capture Titi and Gautherot, who are shot. To avenge their death, Fabien kills a uniformed German with the help of Brustlein and a third comrade. And André commits his first act of resistance by killing a German sailor. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kirchen, know nothing of his clandestine activities. In the Sorbonne chemistry lab, Lili and Cristina blend explosives. Together, members of the Youth Battalions set fire to a building requisitioned by the Germans, and sabotage the Wehrmacht’s communication network. Fabien spreads the Resistance to the city of Nantes, where he kills lieutenant-colonel Hotz. The Germans are quick to retaliate by gunning down 48 hostages… including Claude. Ninette is devastated.

Meanwhile, the trial of the Musée de l’Homme network is about to start. Boris attempts to convince the cruel German prosecutor, GOTTLOB, that The Kid is uncompromised – in vain. When Lili visits him, The Kid tells her he will be spared on account of his youth. In the Fresne courthouse, Agnes, Yvonne, Sylvette, The Contessa, Nordmann, Boris and The Kid all stand trial. Weil-Curiel has apparently managed to escape and reach London.

Lili joins Victoria in Lyon, determined to keep up the struggle against the Germans, no matter what. Victoria charges her with the responsibility of reproducing and distributing a new resistance pamphlet entitled Combat. It is being printed in an illegal workshop, by THE PRINTER and his young apprentice VELIN, 21. Lili stays at Victoria’s, where she encounters her teenage daughter MIREILLE, as well as two men, BERTIN and MULTON.

At the trial of the Musée de l’Homme network, the accused are being sentenced. The women will either go to prison or be deported to Germany, but Nordmann, Lewitski, The Kid and Boris are all condemned to death. When he hears his sentence, The Kid can’t hold back a scream. Irene visits Boris in prison. She is convinced that he will be spared, as his lawyer promised, and so is Boris. At the end of their visit, he hugs her tightly and tells her they will soon be reunited. Once she has gone, he writes her a letter.

Four p.m. at the Mont Valérien. Boris, The Kid, Nordmann and Lewitski are shot dead by the Germans, as Boris’ long letter to his wife can be heard in voice-over: “My Love, Darling Irene, forgive me for deceiving you. When I kissed you for the last time, I knew today was the day…”

Episode 4

In Lyon, Lili is in charge of bringing food to the prisoners. She is staying with Victoria, and The Captain who has severed all ties with the Vichy government. There, she encounters Bertin and a handsome stranger named DIDOT (20). Victoria charges Lili with the mission of going to Paris and distributing the latest issue of Combat. Next morning, Velin gives Lili counterfeit identification papers. Her name is now Alice Le Gosse. He also gives her sheets of cardboard, on which each page of Combat has been carved out, thus enabling her to reproduce the paper in Paris.

Meanwhile, in the Limousin Mountains, Jeannot, The Prof and half a dozen resistance fighters, carry on their clandestine sabotage missions and print and distribute pamphlets calling for resistance.

Back in Paris, Lili joins her comrades at the Fer à Cheval: André, Cristina and Mrs. Elek, with her son Tommy. Despite warnings from his brother Bernard, still in prison, André continues the fight against the occupant, with his Youth Battalions comrades. He confides in Lili that a new attack is in the works. The next day, Tondelier and SCHONHAÄR are about to detonate a bomb in an anti-Bolshevik exhibit… but are captured by police. A little later, André, who is supposed to meet Lili beneath the Concorde Bridge, is also arrested, as Lili powerlessly looks on. Mr. and Mrs. Kirchen are devastated. And Lili is no longer safe: if André talks, she’s done for. She must flee. But where? Upon finding out that Victoria has been arrested, she decides against heading to Lyon. She rings her parents in Nice, but her father refuses to take her in. Desperate, Lili heads to Paulette’s, who puts her up in a room of her brothel.

At the Santé prison, young André is tortured. The Germans leave no doubt as to his upcoming fate: he will be put to death.

In the Doubs region, Fabien and a few patriots from the Valmy Company are organizing acts of resistance against the occupant. One night, the crew falls into a trap. Fabien is wounded, but manages to get away.

Three weeks later, at the Maison de la Chimie (House of Chemistry) in Paris, the trial of young Resistance fighters begins. Among the defendants are André, Bourdarias, Schoenhaär, Tondelier and Tourette, all accused of acts of sabotage, assassination attempts and bomb attacks against the Germans. The trial is officiated by the cruel prosecutor Gottlob. The trial is broadcast on the radio – in the brothel, Lili and Paulette listen to parts of it. The hearing lasts several days, during which the accused are questioned one after the other. They are certain to be sentenced to death. On judgment day, the sentences are served: they will all be put to death, except for André on account of his young age. André is furious. He wanted to fall with his comrades.

Meanwhile, still wanted by the Germans, Fabien decides to return to Paris with his wife and daughter.

Three months later, a handful of hostages stand near the execution posts on Mount Valerien. Among them is Bernard Kirchen. A German truck pulls up with more hostages, and among them… Mr. Kirchen, captured and accused of “terrorism” because of his family ties to André. The first group is tied to the posts. The Marseillaise plays over the scene. Bernard and his father embrace for the last time.

Episode 5

February 1943, German troops have just capitulated in Stalingrad. Near Marseilles, the Gestapo arrests Multon, one of the Combat resistance fighters whom Lili met at Victoria’s.

In Lyon, Lili finds Victoria’s daughter Mireille. They go to the printer Velin’s, where they meet RENOUVIN (35), a former Action Française member, now in charge of the Free Combat Groups. Together, they plan to break Victoria out of the mental hospital where she is being held, pretending to have lost her mind. It is organized that Lili will stay at the home MARYKA, 40s, and her English companion, JIM. Maryka acts as a go-between, in charge of gathering information from THE BIGWIG, whose silhouette we see, while his face is never revealed. She encodes the information and passes it on to Jim, who sends it to London in Morse code, from a clandestine radio.

At the Gestapo headquarters, Multon faces the cruel KLAUS BARBIE. Interrogated without violence, Multon confesses to everything: his work at Combat, his role, his contacts… while MOOG, a French Alsatian, K30 Gestapo agent, carefully observes him.

Lili visits Victoria in the mental ward and reports her observations to Renouvin, Mireille and Velin. The breakout is scheduled for Christmas night. It is a success. Maryka and Jim celebrate Lili’s 19th birthday, and give her earrings exactly like the ones The Kid gave her. Lili is deeply moved. Velin turns up with a mission for Lili: she is to bring a suitcase full of the latest issue of Combat to Victoria, who awaits her in Marseilles. Meanwhile, Maryka and Jim’s coded radio messages are being intercepted by a truck outside, where German operators work to locate the illegal radio transmitter.

Back in Paris, where Fabien now lives under a false identity, with his wife and daughter. Despite his new appearance (glasses and a beard), he is arrested by French police, in the Metro.

In Marseilles, Victoria meets Bertin by the seashore and promises him an upcoming delivery of the new issue of Combat. She then meets with MAX, 40s, a long scarf wrapped around his neck, who lets her know that money is on its way to her from London. Her last meeting is with Multon. She is unaware that Moog, the K30 Gestapo agent, is watching them. Moog also spots Lili, approaching with a suitcase for Victoria, filled with copies of the new issue of Combat. Later, Victoria is carrying the suitcase when she spots Multon in a Marseilles street with the Gestapo agents, all heading for Bertin’s home. She immediately turns away and rushes off. The Germans descend upon Bertin’s home and start searching it. Bertin is wounded in the thigh, but manages to escape.

In the Maquis, The Prof and his crew, now hundreds strong, engage in more and more actions against the Germans: sabotage of communication lines, of means of transportation, of infrastructures, destruction of factories… Mission orders from London are transmitted to The Prof through Combat.

A few weeks later, Lili and Victoria meet in a remote house in the Burgundy countryside – her new hideout. Lili tells her she is headed back to Paris. As for Victoria, she is going to the city of Mâcon, to attend a meeting of the leaders of the United Resistance Movements. When Victoria reaches the meeting place, a horde of Gestapo agents capture her. Thrown in prison, she hangs herself in her cell.

Next day, Lili boards a train to Paris. She sees Didot, whom she met at Victoria’s, being arrested by Moog and the traitor Multon. Lili heads to Chalon, at the same time as the Gestapo agents, to get to Maryka and warn everyone. Lili finds out about Victoria’s arrest, but knows nothing of her suicide. Maryka sets up a meeting between Lili and The Bigwig.

Next day, Lili goes to the old Traboules neighborhood of Lyon. She reaches a meeting place where two young men in their early twenties, RAVANEL and MORLOT, are waiting for her. They take her to an empty room with a single window overlooking the river Saône, where they leave her by herself. The Bigwig turns up and… it’s her own father! He is a Resistance fighter, just like her. The Bigwig’s wife, Lili’s mother, knows nothing. After their emotional reunion, Lili’s father leaves, and Lili remains with Ravanel to give him a description of the two Gestapo agents she saw capturing Didot on the train. Ravanel will get back in touch with her in a few days, so she can confirm the two men’s identity. They part ways.

One day, as she walks down a street in Lyon, Lili happens to spot Didot, whom she saw being arrested on the train just a few days earlier. She meets up with Ravanel and identifies Multon and Didot on a photograph. Ravanel confesses to her that this is a catastrophe: a very important meeting is planned in Caluire, where Max is standing in as representative of the Général de Gaulle in France, and leader of the Resistance Movement. Ravanel, Morlot and Lili drive there but watch, thunderstruck, as the Resistance fighters are all arrested. Didot has betrayed them. At the Gestapo headquarters, Barbie mercilessly interrogates Max, whom he calls by his real name: Jean Moulin.

Maryka, Jim and Lili send a coded message to London: the traitor Multon must be killed. Outside, the Gestapo agents locate the building, then the apartment from where the message is being emitted. They burst in. Maryka escapes out the window, but Lili is overcome with vertigo and stops short. She and Jim are captured. Lili is brought in front of Klaus Barbie, who asks her to say whether she recognizes the people on the photos he shows her. A photo of Bertin: Lili nods yes; Victoria: yes; Multon: yes. Barbie calls in Multon, who confirms that he has indeed seen her before, at Victoria’s. She is shown more photos. When she sees the last one, Lili has a hard time holding back a hiccup: it is of her father, The Bigwig.

Episode 6

Held by the SS, Lili leads Moog and Multon to the hideout where she met with her father. Thankfully, it is empty. Lili suddenly makes a dash for the window, breaks through the glass and leaps into the river SaĂ´ne, making her getaway. She has overcome her fear of heights.

Meanwhile, in the town of Issoudun, Jeannot and his crew of Resistance fighters rob a bank. Jeannot decides to return to Paris, to visit his parents, whom he hasn’t seen in three years.

In Lyon, Lili hides out at Velin’s place, but the police are combing the city in search of her. Velin forges papers for her, so she can get back to Paris. In the Paris-bound train, Lili is overcome with emotion when she runs into Jeannot.

Meanwhile, Fabien and his comrades escape from the Romainville fortress, where they were being held prisoner.

Back in Paris, Lili heads for the Fer à Cheval bistro, but finds the place boarded up. Mrs. Elek is in mourning. Her son Tommy has been executed. His is one of the names on the infamous February 1944 Red Poster. Upset, Lili joins Cristina in the room they shared before the war. They meet with Fabien, now posing as a priest. He tells them he is leaving, to join the Resistance movement in the Doubs region. Lili then visits Mrs. Kirchen, who is devastated by the deaths of her husband and her son Bernard, and by the deportation to Germany of her son André. She holds Lili responsible for André’s fate, as she was the one who led him to join the Resistance movement, after which no one could stop him. Increasingly distressed, Lili heads to Paulette’s, where she spends the whole night writing a letter to André… who receives it in his German prison cell.

Jeannot joins the Free Combat Groups, the main Paris Resistance unit under the leadership of Ravanel and Morlot. They are planning the upcoming escape of a Resistance leader, who is being held captive by the Germans. Jeannot tries to convince Lili to take part in the operation, but she refuses. Unlike most people her age, it’s been four years since she’s had the chance to go to the movies, walk hand in hand with a boy or get enough to eat. She wants to give up the fight. But she finally gives in – this will be her last operation. Jeannot reveals that the prisoner is The Bigwig, her father. Next day, the breakout fails. Thankfully, no one is killed or captured. But Lili is now determined to break her father out of prison.

Meanwhile, at the print shop in Lyon, Maryka and Velin proudly examine the latest issue of Combat. But the militia shows up. Velin and Maryka try to get away, but are soon caught. Velin kills himself, while Maryka is shot point-blank by a militiaman.

June 6, 1944. D-Day. In Paris, Lili heads to Mrs. Kirchen’s to tell her the good news, but doesn’t find her. The concierge coldly tells her that Mrs. Kirchen was rounded up and sent to Auschwitz. On June 28, 1944, Jeannot, Morlot and three other men enter the Ministry of Information and try to capture Philippe Henriot, the Vichy Government’s State Secretary of Information and Propaganda. He resists and is killed on the spot. The Resistance fighters manage to flee. Another day, the Free Combat fighters succeed in rescuing Lili’s father. He and his daughter have an emotional reunion. He goes to hide out the countryside until the end of the war, and orders Lili to stop the fight and wait for the Americans, who will soon reach Paris. A few days later, Lili and Jeannot are at the movies when French police members of the Special Brigade arrest them. In an office at police headquarters, Lili confidently defies POLICE CHIEF DAVID, head of the Special Brigades. Jeannot’s full name is revealed for the first time: it is Jean Frydman.

Three months later, in Bobigny, Jeannot is thrown into a train full of people headed for Buchenwald. There, he finds Lili who, like him, has been horribly tortured. That night, in the middle of nowhere, they manage to escape.

Next morning, GIs find Lili and Jeannot, asleep by a bale of hay.

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"The exciting new Gallic drama"
THE INDEPENDANT

"(A) spirited French drama"
RADIO TIMES

"A solid wartime thriller"
THE TIMES

"A beautiful -staged production with welldrawn characters"
TOTAM TV GUIDE

The Mail on Sunday :

“The historical context is accurately rendered, the episodes are well written and brilliantly delivered by Pauline Burlet”
TELE LOISIRS

“Resistance touches us with its sensitive portraits of teenagers growing up too fast in violent times”
TELERAMA

“This high-quality fiction, in the hands of screenwriter Dan Franck, is served by actors who are mostly unknown, but excellent."
TELE STAR

“Thanks to meticulous directing and a fascinating, quick-paced screenplay, this miniseries inspired by real events captivates us and reminds us how courageous those young French people were who died for their country.”
TELE CABLE SAT

“A prestigious series written by Dan Franck for the 70th anniversary of the French Liberation. Big budget, great actors, a magnificent subject.”
LE FIGARO

“A captivating tale penned by Dan Franck, based on true stories.”
LE PARISIEN