As the first person climbs up, a little shudder runs through the crowd. It must be said that this red and black flag, marked with a giant swastika, can hardly leave anyone unmoved. “Sorry, but I’m not well,” slips Mathilde, 27, who happened to pass by the imposing Graslin theater in Nantes, now decorated with two Nazi banners. In front of the majestic columns, armed soldiers put on their SS armbands… before fixing their hair. “I know it’s for a film but to display these symbols so big…” continues the young woman, visibly moved. It makes me uncomfortable, especially given the context. »
This Monday afternoon, reactions were mixed in this square, one of the busiest in the city center. For the purposes of filming the series Deep, produced for OCS and scheduled to be broadcast in 2025, it is here that a team of around forty people installed their equipment and sets, taking the city back to the time of the Second World War. “Fortunately we were warned by newspaper articles,” observes a mother. But even if we know it’s cinema, it’s scary. We never want to have to go through that again. » “This is what awaits us if Le Pen or Zemmour one day come to power,” quips a group of young people. It’s scary. »
“Important not to forget”
Last week, the town hall of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, took the initiative to accommodate sensitivities as best as possible. Because in recent days, Nazi symbols have flourished all over the city. And in particular on the famous military boat Maillé-Brézé, while the series Deep, presented as a comedy, recounts the adventures of four nickel-plated feet tasked with stealing a German submarine. A “justified” precaution, according to the film crew, who however explain that they are carrying out “memory work” in filming this fiction. “Even for us, who have had our heads on the handlebars since the start of filming, it’s impressive to see soldiers in uniform or these flags,” confides Paul Schmitt, the producer. But it’s important not to forget, especially right now. »
An argument shared by Annie, 64, who took out her cell phone. In front of her, the armed actors take position all around the theater, transformed into a bank which has just been robbed. “My father was resistant so I know all that well, but I think that is less the case among the younger generations,” she believes. So we have to talk about it, again and again. » During filming, instructions were given to onlookers not to make too much noise but above all “not to photograph the SS soldiers in close-up”. “We want to prevent images from being lost on social networks,” explains an assistant.