A Very Long Engagement
Un long dimanche de fiançailles

Movie Poster

Country	France
Directed by	Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Release Date	October 27, 2004
Language	French German
Studio	2003 Productions
Distributor	Warner Independent Pictures

Main Cast
Character	Actor
Mathilde Donnay	Audrey Tautou
Manech Langonne	Gaspard Ulliel
Sylvain	Dominique Pinon

A Very Long Engagement is a 2004 French romantic World War I film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Alien: Resurrection). The film stars Audrey Tautou as Mathilde Donnay, a young woman whose desperate search for her fiancée leads to her subsequent discovery that he is one of five soldiers that have been convicted of self-mutilation in order to escape military service during World War I. They are condemned to face near-certain death in the no man's land between the French and German trench lines unarmed. It appears that all of them were killed in the subsequent Battle of The Somme, but Mathilde, the fiancée of one of the soldiers, refuses to give up hope and begins to uncover clues as to what actually took place on the battlefield. She discovers the brutally corrupt system used by the French Military to deal with those who tried to escape the front during her search and what happened to the other men who were sentenced to the no man's land as a punishment. The film's cast also includes Jodie Foster, Chantal Neuwirth, and Marion Cotillard.

The following weapons were used in the film A Very Long Engagement:

Handguns

Ruby Pistol

Bastoche (Jérôme Kircher) accidentally wounds himself while trying to kill rats with a Ruby Pistol.

Gabilondo Ruby - .32 ACP

Startled by a few rats Bastoche hastily reaches for the Ruby lying next to the bed.

A slightly different view of the Ruby grabbed by him.

MAS Mle. 1892 Revolver

French officers including Capitaine Favourier (Tchéky Karyo) are armed with Mle 1892 Revolvers.

Mle 1892 Revolver - 8 x 27mm

A French officer murdered with an Mle 1892 Revolver in his hand.

Webley Mk VI

A French medic (Patrick Paroux) owns a British Webley .455 Mk VI revolver that is taken by Manech Langonnet (Gaspard Ulliel).

Webley Mk VI - .455 Webley

Manech examines the stolen Webley of the medic.

He uses it to blow a stone from a drum chamber.

The medic gets back his Webley given by Julien Phillipot (Stéphane Butet).

Chamelot-Delvigne Model 1873 Revolver

Tina Lombardi (Marion Cotillard) uses a Chamelot-Delvigne Model 1873 Revolver.

Chamelot-Delvigne Model 1873 Revolver - 11 x 17mmR

After taking it out of the drawer Tina cocks the hammer of her revolver.

She holds the Chamelot-Delvigne Model 1873, about to spit on the muzzle.

Smith & Wesson Fourth Model .32 DA Revolver

A Smith & Wesson 4th Model is seen on Tina's belt.

Smith & wesson 4th Model DA - .32

She cocks the hammer...

... and straightens her belt which offers a view of the grip.

Rifles

Berthier Mle. 1907/15

The majority of French soldiers including Manech Langonnet (Gaspard Ulliel), Benoît Notre-Dame (Clovis Cornillac), Francis "Six-Sous" Gaignard (Denis Lavant), Célestin Poux (Albert Dupontel) and Thouvenel (François Levantal) are armed with Berthier Mle 1907-15 rifles. The rifles are fitted with "Rosalie" bayonets or Viven-Bessières Rifle Grenade Launchers.

Fusil Mle. 1907-15 Berthier Rifle - 8 x 50mmR

Benoît Notre-Dame opens the chamber to insert a sharpened cartridge.

Two French soldiers waiting for the music clock to stop aiming at each other's hands.

Crouching Manech Langonnet wields his Berthier Rifle during the attack on German lines.

A Berthier lies next to a French soldier desperately trying to build a provisional earth wall.

While Le corse menaçant (Eric Fraticelli) offering his surrender to the Germans Thouvenel chambers his Berthier.

Thouvenel takes a shot Le corse menaçant for being Corse not French.

French soldiers affixing their "Rosalie" bayonets before going over the top.

Lebel Mle. 1886

Despite the Berthier rifle is the most used rifle, some French soldiers can also be seen with Lebel 1886 rifles.

Lebel Model 1886 - 8x50mmR Lebel

A Lebel is seen on the right, leaning against the wall.

Mauser Gewehr 1898

All German soldiers are seen with correct Mauser Gewehr 1898 rifles with fixed Seitengewehr 98/05 bayonets. Francis Gaignard (Denis Lavant) briefly holds a Mauser taken from a German soldier.

Mauser Gewehr 1898 - 7.92 x 57mm

A numbed German soldier (Gaspar Claus) points his Gewer 98 at Francis.

The following shoulder view of the scene showing his opponent doing the same with the Berthier.

Machine Guns

Hotchkiss M1914

1914 Hotchkiss Machine Gun - 8 x 50mmR

A French soldier firing the Hotchkiss Machine Gun in a shelter.

FN MAG 58

Anachronistic FN MAG-58 Machine Guns are used by German soldiers to resemble Maxim MG08s and Parabellum MG14s.

FN MAG-58 - 7.62 x 51mm

An FN MAG mocked up as an MG14 mounted on a German aircraft which is actually a Boeing-Stearman Model 75 acting as an "Albatros" two-seater biplane.

Anothther FN MAG-58 mocked up as a Maxim MG08/15 fired from a German bunker.

Chauchat Mle. 1915

A French soldier is very briefly seen with a Chauchat light machine gun.

Chauchat Mle 1915 with Anti-Arcraft sights - 8x50mmR Lebel

The drinking soldier to the right keeps the Chauchat in his left arm.

Maxim MG08

A genuine Maxim MG08 can be briefly seen in the German trench.

Maxim MG08 on 'sledge' mount - 7.92x57mm Mauser

The Maxim in the background behind Francis "Six-Sous" Gaignard (Denis Lavant).

Another with of the 'sledge' mount.

Hand Grenades

Barbelé grenade

A Grenade Contre Fil Barbelé can be seen in the French trench.

The grenade is seen on the wooden roof next to Manech on the left.

The same untouched grenade as he passed by.

Citron Foug modèle 1916

A Citron Foug modèle 1916 grenade is used by Caporal Kléber Bouquet (Jérôme Kircher) to destroy the German "Albatros".

Citron Foug modèle 1916 with 1st Model cap.

The prepared grenade in his hand; the 1st model cap thrown way (seen to the right).

A good view of the floating grenade in mid-air.

Pétard Grenade

Some Pétard Grenades can be seen in the French trench.

Pétard Grenade or Third Army Grenade

Two grenades on the left as Favart (Philippe Duquesne) calls the names of the condemned.

Side view of a grenade between the two French soldiers in the background.

Model 24 Stielhandgranate

Anachronistic Model 24 Stielhandgranates are seen lying in a German trench and No Man's Land. At least, they are equipped with drilled belt clips to resemble correct Model 17s.

Model 24 Stielhandgranate "Potato Masher" High-Explosive Fragmentation Hand Grenade

A bunch of Stielhandgranaten between the French soldiers in the cleared out German trench. The one in the foreground, between the Minenwerfer and the kneeling soldier, is seen fitted with a belt clip.