God Needs Men (French: Dieu a besoin des hommes) is a 1950 French historical drama film directed by Jean Delannoy and starring Pierre Fresnay, Madeleine Robinson and Daniel Gélin. The film is based on a 1944 novel Un recteur de l'Île de Sein by Henri Queffelec. It was shot at the Billancourt Studios in Paris. Initial location shooting took place on the Île de Sein off Finistère in Brittany, but the majority of the film was staged on mainland Brittany. The film's sets were designed by the art director René Renoux.
God Needs Men was originally due to be the French entry at the 1950 Venice Film Festival but it was withdrawn due to fears that its subject might offend the Catholic Church. However, due to its popularity, including among Catholics, it was accepted for screening at the Festival anyway. At the 1951 Berlin Film Festival it won the Special Prize for an Excellent Film Achievement.
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Plot
On a rugged, poverty-stricken island off the coast of Brittany many of the inhabitants spend their time as wreckers preying on shipwrecks. Their wildness forces the parish priest to take refuge on the mainland. A fisherman steps forward to take his place and tries to uphold religion on the island.
Locations
With the exception of the prologue, the exterior scenes were shot in Plouguerneau and not on the island of Sein, due to the local inhabitants' distrust. As noted by actor Pierre Fresnay, most filming was done on a set for the island village built in Pantin, a northeastern suburb of Paris.
Cast
Pierre Fresnay as Thomas Gourvennec
Madeleine Robinson as Jeanne Gourvennec
Daniel Gélin as Joseph le Berre
Antoine Balpêtré as Le père Gourvennec, un pêcheur
Germaine Kerjean as Mme Kerneis
Sylvie as Coise Karbacen
Jean d'Yd as Corentin Gourvennec
Daniel Ivernel as François Guillen
Raphaël Patorni as Jules
Lucienne Bogaert as Anaïs Le Berre
Marcel Delaître as M. Kerneis
Fernand René as Yves Lannuzel
Charles Bouillaud as Le gendarme
René Génin as Le père d'Yvon
Jean Brochard as L'abbé Kerhervé, le recteur de Lescoff
Jean Carmet as Yvon
Andrée Clément as Scholastique Kerneis
Marcelle Géniat as La mère Gourvennec
Jérôme Goulven as Le brigadier
Cécyl Marcyl as La vieille
Albert Michel as Le Bail
Jean-Pierre Mocky as Pierre