Line #7 Literature/LeSilenceDeLaMer


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9782253003106_001_t.jpeg]]
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3	''Le Silence de la mer'' (''The Silence of the Sea'') is a French novella written in 1942 by Jean Bruller and published secretly under his pseudonym, "Vercors". Which is just as well, as it quickly became a symbol of [[LaResistance mental resistance]] against the German occupation.
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5	The story centres on an elderly man and his young niece, who are forced to share their home with a German officer named Werner Von Ebrannac, and though they are unable to hinder him directly, they resolve to show resistance by never saying a word to him. The uncomfortable arrangement is complicated by the fact that Werner is a [[FriendlyEnemy polite Francophile]] who genuinely desires amity with his unwilling hosts and between their two warring nations.
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7	A 1946 English TV adaptation was one of the first programmes broadcast by the BBC after the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The book has also been adapted into several stage plays as well as two French-language films -- one of them is Creator/JeanPierreMelville's feature-length debut released in 1949 and starring Howard Vernon, Nicole Stéphane and Jean-Marie Robain, the other is a [[Film/LeSilenceDeLaMer2004 2004 TV film]] starring Creator/JulieDelarme, Thomas Jouannet and Creator/MichelGalabru. In the 2004 adaptation, the niece becomes a granddaughter called Jeanne Larosière and the uncle a grandfather called André Larosière.
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9	See also ''Literature/SuiteFrancaise'', a novel written around the same time with similar themes and situations.
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11	!!''Le Silence de la mer'' contains examples of:
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13	* AlasPoorVillain
14	* AnachronismStew: In the 1949 film, part of Werner's HeelRealization comes on a visit to Paris in September 1941, when he reads a memo from March 1941 about operations at Treblinka. Treblinka was not brought into service as an extermination camp until 1942.
15	* BreakThemByTalking: Inverted. The uncle and the niece break the officer by ''not'' talking.
16	** BreakTheCutie
17	* BreakTheBeliever: Werner truly believed the Reich would bring about a better breed of humanity, until he realizes what kind of brutal thugs they truly are.
18	* ContemptCrossfire: Werner the German officer quartered in the French home is an OfficerAndAGentleman, truly believing in the ideals of the Nazi party and how eliminating the weak will make the world a better place (for their part, his unwilling hosts maintain absolute silence towards him). Then after he meets his best friend (now a CardCarryingVillain delighting in the pain and misery he causes) and learns about the death camps, he finally realizes the brutish, destructive thuggery that the Nazis stand for, and volunteers for the Eastern front.
19	* DuringTheWar: The interplay between a German officer and his two unwilling hosts in a small house in occupied France.
20	* ElectiveMute: The uncle and niece refuse to say a single word to the German officer who has been quartered in their home.
21	* ElegantClassicalMusician: Werner.
22	* [[FinalFirstHug Final First Words]]: "Adieu", says the niece to Werner as he's leaving.
23	* GentlemanAndAScholar: Werner positively ''gushes'' when he sees his hosts' library.
24	* HeelRealisation: Happens during Werner's time in Paris.
25	* HitlerCam: The 1949 film uses this several times, including some instances shot from the POV of the uncle sitting in a chair, but also a couple of shots from the inside of the fireplace as Werner stands over the fire.
26	* JustFollowingOrders: In the 1949 film Werner is no doubt thinking about this at the end, when, right before leaving, he cracks open an Anatole France book and sees the quote "It is beautiful for a soldier to disobey orders which are criminal."
27	* NoNameGiven: In the original novel, the two principal characters are known only as "the uncle" and "the niece". In the 1949 film, Werner is the only character who has a name. The 2004 film [[NamedByTheAdaptation names them]] as André and Jeanne Larosière.
28	* OfficerAndAGentleman: Werner to a tee.
29	* PlaceWorseThanDeath: When Werner reveals that he has requested a transfer to the Eastern Front, he remarks to his hosts in the book and the 1949 film that he is "Off to Hell".
30	* PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes: Although Werner barely qualifies as a villain.
31	* ReassignedToAntarctica: Although he does it to himself, volunteering to leave his cushy, pleasant duty station in occupied France and instead fight on the Eastern Front.
32	* LaResistance: Naturally, as the author was a member of the French resistance when he wrote the book.
33	* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: A rare use of this for drama, as Werner doesn't have to leave.
34	* ThinkingOutLoud: Werner, frequently, as he attempts to fill the uncomfortable silence, and connect with his hosts.
35	* TitleDrop
36	* TranquilFury: The humiliated anger of the uncle and niece is palpable, but never finds expression.
37	* WorthyOpponent: How Werner views France. The uncle comes to feel the same way about Werner.

Context Literature / LeSilenceDeLaMer