13 Days in France

1968 1h 52m FR

👍

6.7

SOLID

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 10★6.7IMDB · 171

DocumentaryHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

This colorful documentary chronicles the events of the 1968 Winter Olympics in France. The events made international celebrities of skater Peggy Fleming and skier Jean-Claude Killy for their gold-medal performances. The camera accurately catches the speed of bobsleds and downhill racers and ski jumpers as they race for the gold. President Charles DeGaulle is shown observing the action over 13 days, which saw France earn the best performance to date in the winter games.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Fandango At HomeRent

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Jean-Claude Killy
Lui-même
Peggy Fleming

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Claude Lelouch
Writers: Pierre Uytterhoeven
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Claude Lelouch, shot by Willy Bogner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Francis Lai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Claude Barrois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean-Claude Killy and Peggy Fleming carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0189330 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Claude Lelouch directs. Willy Bogner behind the camera. Francis Lai scores. Claude Barrois cuts. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

158 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Claude Lelouch, shot by Willy Bogner. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Francis Lai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Claude Barrois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jean-Claude Killy and Peggy Fleming carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0189330 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 10 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "sports", "olympic games", "olympian sports team", "olympian village".

The technical file

Cinematography: Willy Bogner
Original score: Francis Lai
Editing: Claude Barrois
Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: 13 Days in France (1968)
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 171 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

1 nomination

Part of

100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012

Spanning fifty-three movies and forty-one editions of the Olympic Games, 100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912–2012 is the culmination of a monumental, award-winning archival project encompassing dozens of new restorations by the International Olympic Committee. The documentaries collected here cast a cinematic eye on some of the most iconic moments in the history of modern sports, spotlighting athletes who embody the Olympic motto of “Faster, Higher, Stronger”: Jesse Owens shattering world records on the track in 1936 Berlin, Jean-Claude Killy dominating the Grenoble slopes in 1968, Joan Benoit breaking away to win the Games’ first women’s marathon in Los Angeles in 1984.