A life in its entirety, told soberly in two voices on exceptional archive images, such is the outline of this documentary dedicated to Marc Bloch (1886-1944). The resistant historian who is now entering the Pantheon with his wife Simonne is well served by Hughes’ film Nancy. Educational and clear, richly documented both historically and family-wise, this faithful portrait gets to the point.
A narrator, Manon Azem, states the facts and dates, while an actor, Éric Caravaca, speaks for Marc Bloch, reading extracts from his books, notebooks and letters. The family documentary collection – photos, manuscripts, original editions, military papers including his five citations for “bravery”, false papers from clandestinity in the Resistance – fuels the story of an exemplary republican journey.
Fake news, miracles and debacle
Marc Bloch has been confronted all his life with History of which he was a witness, actor and analyst. A fighter in the First World War, he wrote a pioneering book on “fake news”. A medievalist and history professor, he initiated studies on rurality in France, wrote on the belief in the miracles of miracle-working kings – “the king touches you, God heals you” – and renewed the vision of feudal society. Founder with Lucien Febvre of the School of Annals, he revolutionized the study of history.
The Second World War is extensively covered, with partly colorized archives. Beginning with the assassination of Marc Bloch by the Nazis on June 16, 1944, the film details the involvement of this father of six in the war and then his role in the Resistance. The Strange Defeat, a decisive work on the debacle of 1940 with still relevant diagnoses, punctuates this highlight. Marc Bloch’s method is summed up in one clear sentence: “Without looking at the present, it is impossible to understand the past. »
Marc Bloch, on behalf of France
Program preceded by entry into the Pantheon of Marc and Simonne Bloch
Tuesday June 23, 2026 at 10:15 p.m., on France 2
