7 hommes en enfer is a 75-minute French political fiction TV movie written and helmed for Antenne 2 by author, scriptwriter and director Youri Komerovsky (aka Youri), known for the youth television series Le monde enchanté d'Isabelle (1973) (1). Youri also worked on dramas like Les Cinq Dernières minutes, Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret or Messieurs les jurés. He even directed a young Gérard Depardieu in L'Inconnu (1973) and Linda Thorson (The Avengers) in Les palmiers du métropolitain (1978).
Shot during spring 1979 (2), 7 hommes en enfer was aired by Antenne 2 on May 14, 1981. The confrontation between the two atomic superpowers is at its peak and a country allied to France is directly threatened. Nuclear dissuasion seems the only solution for the President of France. He summons the Prime minister, three important ministers, the Army Chief of Staff and the intelligence chief in the middle of the night to get their opinion and inform them of his choice. Suddenly, a siren warning of a nuclear attack prompts the seven men to go down into the presidential fallout shelter. Soon, they feel the need to assess the situation above and decide to send three of them outdoors, dressed in anti-radiation suits.
The idea of the script came to Youri at a time when the tensions between Soviet Union and the United States were an everyday preoccupation in Europe. 7 hommes en enfer opens with a real vox pop where people in the street are asked about the possibility of a Third World War. The writer/director did a lot of research but the channel, which financed 7 hommes en enfer, was worried of the cost of the sets he had in mind. Youri reduced the shooting to a record 16 days in order to save money for his vision of the project (3). The result suffers from obvious budget limitations but is redeemed by a clever scenario, served by a brilliant cast, and a disillusioned twist ending.
Christian Barbier (La Horse, L'Armée des Ombres) plays Guillaume, the Foreign secretary. Barbier reached fame with the ORTF drama L'Homme du Picardie (1968) and he almost became the successor to Raymond Souplex in Les Cinq Dernières Minutes (4). Defense minister Daniel is played by the great stage, cinema and television actor Michel Vitold (L'homme qui revient de loin, Judex). Character actor Jacques Lalande has a short but effective participation towards the end as The Delegate. Also with François Darbon (Minister of the Interior Simon), Maurice Garrel (General Karr, the Army chief of staff), Paul Guers (Prime minister Philippe), Claude Mann (Hollandy, the Intelligence chief), Georges Marchal (The President), etc.
Produced by Christian Chivot and Évelyne Hamel. There's no original music, as often with French TV productions of the time. Sound illustration by James Madelon. Cinematography by René Mathelin. Editing by Huguette Ajax and Michel Fournier. Production designed by Bernard Thomassin.
(1) Also a series of book written by Youri.
(2) (3) Télé 7 Jours N°1093 (May 9, 1981)
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