A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.

Jean Gabin
as Le lieutenant Maréchal

Pierre Fresnay
as Le capitaine de Boëldieu

Erich von Stroheim
as Le capitaine von Rauffenstein

Marcel Dalio
as Le lieutenant Rosenthal

Dita Parlo
as Elsa

Julien Carette
as Cartier, l'acteur

Gaston Modot
as L'ingénieur

Georges Péclet
as Le serrurier

Werner Florian
as Le sergent Arthur

Jean Dasté
as L'instituteur
CinemaSerf
Very much more of a character-driven look at the experiences of French prisoners during the first world war. The inmates represent - much as did their army - soldiers from all aspects of life. The aristocratic Pierre Fresnay as "Boeldieu", Jean Gabin "Maréchal" and Marcel Dalio "Rosenthal" as the mo...