NFB Collection
Mysteries in the Archives: 1934 the Assassination of King Alexander of Yugoslavia
200726 min 16 secFilm: Documentary
Direction: Serge Viallet
Production: Florence Fanelli
Co-produced by ARTE France and Institut national de l'audiovisuel with the participation of Centre National de la Cinématographie, in association with YLE Teema - Ritva Leino and RTSI-Televisione Svizzera, and with the participation of the National Film Board of Canada.
This title is an acquisition.
Marseille, Tuesday, October 9, 1934.
King Alexander I of Yugoslavia arrives in the port of Marseille for an official visit to France. Several minutes later, he is shot point-black – killed by a Croatian nationalist opposed to his regime.
The close-up filming of an assassination was a first in the history of cinema. The footage also revealed serious lapses in security. Why so many? Why were the cameramen able to get so close to film the dying king? What became of their footage?
The Yugoslavian king could have come directly to Paris by train. Why, then, did he travel to Marseille by ship – a choice that played a large role in complicating security arrangements.
A closer look at the footage reveals that however unintentionally, the celebrated Fox Movietone newsreel of the assassination served French authorities. The Fox Movietone report, for example, neglected the civilian casualties – and the number of shot bystanders exceeds the number of bullets fired by the assassin – revealing that security forces also opened fire in the chaos…
Subject categories
- History > Historical PerpectivesWorld History
Credits
- idea
- Serge Viallet
- Cédric Lépée
- series director
- Serge Viallet
- director
- Serge Viallet
- editor
- Alexandre Auque
- assistant editor
- Vanessa Bozza
- editing intern
- Thomas Fioretti
- graphic design
- Stéphanie Mée
- Raymond Perrin
- Jean-Michel Moussu
- historical research
- Cedric Gruat
- musical illustration
- Niels Poux
- credit sequence design
- Philippe Truffault
- credit sequence production
- Philippe Truffault
- credit sequence editor
- François Labat
- translator
- Dana Burns Westberg
- narrator
- Dana Burns Westberg
- documentalist
- Michael Dolan
- sound design
- Laurent Thomas
- Jean-François Gasnier
- sound mix
- Laurent Thomas
- Jean-François Gasnier
- colour correction
- Rémi Berge
- production manager
- Thierry Ippolito
- production assistant
- Vincent Encontre
- Armelle Jayet
- producer
- Florence Fanelli
- administrator
- Yasmine Boucherat