This is not the first time that an American production has packed its suitcases and cameras in France to make it a place of action. That’s the case with All the Light We Cannot See, Netflix’s latest hit series.
Over the course of a decade, we follow the intertwined destinies of two protagonists whose lives are turned upside down by World War II: Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a young blind French woman sheltering her uncle, and Werner Pfennig, a genuine German teenage genius.Radio broadcasts. Through a shared secret bond, they regain faith in humanity and see a glimmer of hope.
In episode 3 of the mini-series, the father of the character played by Mark Ruffalo explains to Marie that she must return to Paris to convince the Germans that she will never leave the capital before going and hiding in Bordeaux… “3 o’clock in the morning” the train. An anachronism raised by some subscribers on the AlloCiné page:
For example: Bordeaux, 3 hours by train from Paris, in 1940, we didn’t know the TGV was that old. Germans and French who all speak the same language fluently (your choice of English or French). I have been to the Tower of Babel where God invented different languages. it is funny!” (Jean-Michel Apeupre)
“Hello also to anachronisms… Paris 3 hours from Bordeaux in 1944… No, but seriously.” (Vincent Belhomme)
It should be said that the TGV was opened only in 1981 and today it connects the two French cities between 2:30 and 3 p.m. A result that was impossible to achieve in 1944 with the trains of that time.
Another discrepancy was noted
All the Light We Cannot See is an adaptation of the 2014 novel by American Anthony Doerr. If the action takes place in France and the two main characters are of French or German descent, the mini-Netflix series is filmed in… English. . It’s a surprising choice when we know that the platform regularly invests in foreign productions and that Werner’s translator himself is of German origin.
AlloCiné put this question directly to Sean Levy and Steven Knight, director and screenwriter of All the Light We Cannot See:
“The main reason is that the book was written in English. All characters, whether German or French, speak the author’s language. So we made the same choice. We discussed whether to make accents or not. But I have rarely seen successful accents. And let’s just say it’s rare among American actors to have very good French. I didn’t want to disturb the audience.”
Watch All the Light We Cannot See on Netflix.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
