The Round Up (2010 film)

The Round Up

Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	2010
Founder	Roselyne Bosch (writer and director), Alain Goldman (producer)
Products	Historical war drama film

The Round Up () is a 2010 French historical war drama, both written and directed by Roselyne Bosch and produced by Alain Goldman. Featuring performances by Mélanie Laurent, Jean Reno, Sylvie Testud, and Gad Elmaleh, the film portrays the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup (Rafle du Vel' d'Hiv), a large-scale arrest of Jewish individuals carried out by French police in cooperation with Nazi forces in Paris during July 1942.

Plot

During the summer of 1942, Jewish residents in German-occupied France are compelled to wear the yellow star. Within Montmartre, two Jewish families navigate life cautiously amid a community split between those who offer protection and others who shun them.

On the nights of July 16 and 17, a coordinated effort between Nazi authorities and French police results in the Vel' d'Hiv roundup. Joseph Weismann’s family, along with neighbors, are detained following unsuccessful attempts to flee. Joseph unintentionally reveals his father's location during the arrest.

The detainees are held in the overcrowded and unsanitary Velodrome d'Hiver, where essential resources such as water and sufficient food are lacking. Firefighters intervene to supply water and enable communication among prisoners. Captain Pierret takes command to ensure order among the security personnel.

After two days, the captives are transported under severe conditions to Beaune-la-Rolande transit camp, facing limited nourishment, widespread illness, and despair. Subsequently, parents and older children are deported to Auschwitz; only the youngest children remain temporarily under the care of nurse Annette Monod.

Encouraged by his mother to survive, Joseph escapes with assistance and concealed funds; however, his ailing closest friend is unable to accompany him. Annette becomes aware of the extermination camps but arrives too late to rescue the children sent away by train. Joseph and another escapee endure and reunite with Annette at Paris’s Lutetia hotel after World War II concludes in 1945.

Cast

• Mélanie Laurent as Protestant nurse (d. 1995)
• Gad Elmaleh as Schmuel Weismann
• Jean Reno as Dr. David Sheinbaum
• as Sura Weismann
• Rebecca Marder as Rachel Weismann
• Denis Menochet as Corot
• Sylvie Testud as Bella Zygler
• Adèle Exarchopoulos as Anna Traube (aged 20)
• Catherine Allegret as the concierge Tati
• Isabelle Gélinas as Hélène Timonier
• Hugo Leverdez as young Jo Weismann (aged 11)
• the real Joseph Weismann (then aged 80) as the old man
• Oliver Cywie as Simon Zygler
• Mathieu and Romain Di Concetto as Noé Zygler
• Anne Brochet as Dina Traube
• Barnabás Réti as Monsieur Goldstein
• Thierry Frémont as Capitaine Pierret, fire chief
• Catherine Hosmalin as The baker
• Anne Benoît as Matthey Jouanis
• Iván Fenyő as Gradé allemand Müller
• Armelle as School Nurses's Director
• as Adolf Hitler
• Thomas Darchinger as Heinrich Himmler
• Holger Daemgen as Helmut Knochen
• Roland Copé as Marshal Philippe Pétain
• as Prime Minister Pierre Laval
• Frederic Moulin as Laval's deputy, René Bousquet
• Patrick Courtois as Emile Hennequin, Paris chief of police
• Christelle Cornil as Jacqueline
• Swann Arlaud as Weismann

Music

• "Clair de lune" from Claude Debussy
• "Valse N°17" from Frédéric Chopin
• "Paris" from Edith Piaf
• "Tombé du ciel" from Charles Trénet
• "Insensiblement", and "Quand un Vicomte", from Ray Ventura
• "Tout en flanant" from André Claveau
• "La Savane" from Louis Moreau Gottschalk
• "Concerto de L'adieu" from Georges Delerue
• "Concerto pour Violon", from Philip Glass

Production

Director Roselyne Bosch embarked on this project to shed light on the victims of the rafle du Vel' d'Hiv. Her motivation stemmed from a personal connection: her husband's Jewish heritage rooted in Montmartre and her father's internment in a French camp during the war. This prompted thorough investigation into survivor testimonies, notably those of Joseph Weismann and Annette Monod, whose experiences heavily influenced the screenplay. Bosch opted to depict exclusively historical figures, initially hesitating before casting Gad Elmaleh as Schmuel Weismann, the father of Joseph. The role of Annette Monod, a Red Cross volunteer recognized for her steadfast humanitarian work during the roundup, was entrusted to actress Mélanie Laurent. The production was overseen by Alain Goldman, Bosch's spouse.

Principal photography commenced in May 2009 and lasted 13 weeks, involving approximately 9,000 extras. To faithfully recreate the era, detailed replicas of the Vélodrome d'hiver and a concentration camp were constructed in Hungary, ensuring both authenticity and immersive environments.

Release

The film premiered in France on 10 March 2010, simultaneously launching in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.

Box office

The Round Up opened at the top spot in France, overtaking Shutter Island during its debut weekend. It drew three million viewers domestically, surpassing other Holocaust-related films such as The Pianist and Schindler's List. On free television, it eventually reached an audience of 7 million, becoming the highest-grossing French film of that year and securing the audience favorite distinction in TF1 surveys. Its DVD release dominated sales charts for three weeks consecutively in 2011.

Home media

The DVD became available in France on 7 September 2010 and was later released on the American iTunes Store on 14 May 2013.

Critical reception

Overall, the film garnered favorable critiques:

• Nouvel Observateur described it as "a courageous film" with "remarkable emotional depth," celebrating French cinema.
• Figaroscope praised the director’s delicate approach through children's viewpoints.
• Journal du Dimanche highlighted the gradual build-up of emotion handled with dignity.
• Paris Match underscored the authentic performances delivered by child actors alongside the film’s intense yet restrained tone.
• Ouest France called it "impressive, spectacular and gripping," commending performances from Jean Reno, Sylvie Testud, and Mélanie Laurent.
• L'Express noted its focus on everyday individuals—especially children—in contrast to films like Schindler's List.

Some reviews were more critical:

• Telerama questioned whether such horror can be effectively portrayed.
• On Allo Ciné, 36% of critics awarded five stars, 28% gave four stars, while 7% rated it with no stars.
• In the United States, Variety acknowledged its high production values and emotionally powerful performances but pointed out an oversimplified good-versus-evil narrative; it predicted strong international box office results for this €20 million ($27 million) co-production.
• In the United Kingdom, The Guardian characterized it as "a straightforward, heartfelt drama about Nazi Germany’s occupation of France."

Controversy

During a 2010 interview, Roselyne Bosch described audiences who remained unmoved by the film as either "pampered children" or skeptics unwilling to embrace genuine human feelings, even equating them with Hitler. This remark provoked backlash from French press and the cinema platform Selenie, which labeled her statement among the most "absurd" in recent times. Bosch initiated legal action against the website for defamation, but in 2013, the Paris Court rejected the lawsuit, determining that the criticism fell within the bounds of free speech.