Cinema in Brittany

Cinema and photography in Brittany

Brittany’s obvious beauty has meant it has often featured large as a cinematic backdrop in films, in particular its spectacular coastline. Some French directors have come back time and again to shoot here and a few places have played major starring roles more than once. Film festivals are held regularly in certain towns. Brittany has also inspired some of France’s finest photographers.

Picture 1 Cinema in Brittany Picture 2 Cinema in Brittany Picture 3 Cinema in Brittany

From the director’s chair 

The great French director Claude Chabrol has made half a dozen films in Brittany, including an adaptation of Hélias’s Le Cheval d’Orgueil. Another household name in France, Alain Resnais, set his film Mon Oncle d’Amérique in his native Morbihan. Films on classic historic themes have been made in Brittany in recent times, for example on the anti-Revolutionary Chouans, while A Very Long Engagement, a war-time story with Breton roots, starred Audrey Tatou. There have been interesting takes on present-day Brittany too. The amusingly titled Western focused on poor people on the tip of Brittany struggling to get by while L’Equipier took viewers onto Ouessant (Ushant), revealing the ghosts in a lighthouseman’s past.

Star turns 

A few Breton places have attracted the cameras time and again. Ouessant is one, but St-Marc at the Loire estuary is the most famous, as the setting for Jacques Tati’s comedy classic, Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot. Locronan is another star location; Roman Polanski shot his version of Tess here and it won a best set award. Another much-loved film location is dramatic Fort La Latte. Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis starred there in the 1950s film Vikings. In 2010, the Château de Kerjean hosts an exhibition devoted to Brittany in cinema.

Lenses in a storm 

Photographers such as Philip Plisson have made images of Breton islands and lighthouses familiar around the world. Baud on the Blavet has a fascinating Cartopole at which you can study old postcards of Brittany in detail, thanks to new technology.

Did you know?

Dinard hosts a festival of British film, but Douarnenez casts its cinematic net much wider for its ethnic film festival.