Danton

1983 2h 16m FR

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 181

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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Danton and Robespierre were close friends and fought together in the French Revolution, but by 1793 Robespierre was France's ruler, determined to wipe out opposition with a series of mass executions that became known as the Reign of Terror. Danton, well known as a spokesman of the people, had been living in relative solitude in the French countryside, but he returned to Paris to challenge Robespierre's violent rule and call for the people to demand their rights. Robespierre, however, could not accept such a challenge, even from a friend and colleague, and he blocked out a plan for the capture and execution of Danton and his allies.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Gérard Depardieu
Georges Danton
Wojciech Pszoniak
Maximilien Robespierre
Patrice Chéreau
Camille Desmoulins
Angela Winkler
Lucile Desmoulins
Roland Blanche
Lacroix of Eure-et-Loir
Alain Macé
François Héron
Jacques Villeret
François-Joseph Westermann
Anne Alvaro
Eléonore Duplay

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrzej Wajda
Writers: Jean-Claude Carrière, Agnieszka Holland, Jacek Gąsiorowski
Languages: French
Countries: France, Poland

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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Poland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrzej Wajda, shot by Igor Luther. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Gérard Depardieu and Wojciech Pszoniak and Patrice Chéreau carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0083789 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrzej Wajda directs. Igor Luther behind the camera. Jean Prodromidès scores. Halina Prugar-Ketling cuts. Produced in France, Poland. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

143 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: France, Poland.
3Directed by Andrzej Wajda, shot by Igor Luther. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jean Prodromidès. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Halina Prugar-Ketling shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Gérard Depardieu and Wojciech Pszoniak and Patrice Chéreau carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0083789 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 26 themes, including "france", "beheading", "civil rights", "french revolution".

The technical file

Cinematography: Igor Luther
Original score: Jean Prodromidès
Editing: Halina Prugar-Ketling
Production design: Allan Starski
Costume design: Yvonne Sassinot de Nesle
Makeup / hair: Renata Bukowska
Runtime: 136 min · 2h 16m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: Danton (1983)

Awards

National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for Director of the Year
Louis Delluc Prize
César Award for Best Director
BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Andrzej Wajda

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-06-20
★ 7/10
Georges Danton (Gérard Depardieu) returns from his post French revolutionary rural existence to a Paris where the excesses and indifferences of the monarchy have now been replaced by those of the committees responsible for governing the country. He is determined to galvanise the population to rise against this new form of tyranny, but that means confronting his ailing friend Robespierre (Wojciech Pszoniak) who is trying to keep the revolution from imploding and, initially at any rate, to keep Danton alive. With the cauldron in danger of boiling over though, and with conspirators whispering in just about every ear, it soon becomes clear to Robespierre that the only way he can be sure of Danton is to relieve him of his head. This won’t be easy, though. He has friends but he also has the ear of the increasingly disgruntled masses, so it’s going to take some clever legerdemain if he is to pull it off without bringing everything down on top of his own head instead, or maybe even as well. It’s a good looking film, this, with plenty of attention to the detail. It’s also quite an effective evaluation of the pointlessness of oratory when you are either speaking into the wind, or when you are philosophising about grand ideology whilst folks can’t get bread, let alone cake, to feed their family. There is a well portrayed survival of the fittest, and/or most duplicitous, illustrated here and it busily demonstrates that mob rule really only ever encourages other mobs to have a go, too. This also has another distinct benefit in that as a biopic, there is a great deal of latitude available to Andrzej Wajda. That’s not least because accurate records of who did what, where and to whom don’t exist so he can fill his boots, creatively, in the telling of a story of betrayal, hypocrisy and survival. An on-form Depardieu delivers his set piece speeches passionately and in the end offers us a convincing appraisal of the decline and fall of a man of principle in a mire of intellectual squalor.

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