Program notes
A historical archive documentary about the most prestigious French music institution: the Conservatoire de Paris.
This archive was found in the Agriculture department film archives and goes back to a dark period of French history: 1943, when France was occupied by Germany. From 1941 to 1954, the Conservatoire was directed by Claude Delvincourt, who tried to protect his students from the troubles of the war: he did not expelled his Jewish students and he created the Orchestre des Cadets so that young students can dodge the Compulsory Work Service in Germany.
While the camera enters the class rooms of prestigious teachers such as Paul Bazelaire, Jules Boucherit or Yves Nat, it shows young musicians but also drama students who aim at becoming professional artists and winning the supreme distinction: the first prize of the conservatoire. French composer Marcel Landowski wrote the soundtrack for this documentary.