God Needs Men (1950)
God Needs Men (1950), directed by Jean Delannoy, starring Pierre Fresnay and Madeleine Robinson.
score
Synopsis
The inhabitants of the windswept island of Sein, in the 19th-century Brittany, follow their own religion without need for clergy, but as strangers arrive, their faith and beliefs face a deep crisis.
- Robert LefebvreCinematography
- Jean DelannoyDirector
- James CuenetEditing
- Paul GraetzProducer
About the film
God Needs Men (French: Dieu a besoin des hommes) is a 1950 French historical drama film directed by Jean Delannoy and starring Pierre Fresnay, Madeleine Robinson and Daniel Gélin. The film is based on a 1944 novel Un recteur de l'Île de Sein by Henri Queffelec. It was shot at the Billancourt Studios in Paris. Initial location shooting took place on the Île de Sein off Finistère in Brittany, but the majority of the film was staged on mainland Brittany. The film's sets were designed by the art director René Renoux.
God Needs Men was originally due to be the French entry at the 1950 Venice Film Festival but it was withdrawn due to fears that its subject might offend the Catholic Church. However, due to its popularity, including among Catholics, it was accepted for screening at the Festival anyway. At the 1951 Berlin Film Festival it won the Special Prize for an Excellent Film Achievement.
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God Needs Men (French: Dieu a besoin des hommes) is a 1950 French historical drama film directed by Jean Delannoy and starring Pierre Fresnay, Madeleine Robinson and Daniel Gélin. The film is based on a 1944 novel Un recteur de l'Île de Sein by Henri Queffelec. It was shot at the Billancourt Studios in Paris. Initial location shooting took place on the Île de Sein off Finistère in Brittany, but the majority of the film was staged on mainland Brittany. The film's sets were designed by the art director René Renoux.
God Needs Men was originally due to be the French entry at the 1950 Venice Film Festival but it was withdrawn due to fears that its subject might offend the Catholic Church. However, due to its popularity, including among Catholics, it was accepted for screening at the Festival anyway. At the 1951 Berlin Film Festival it won the Special Prize for an Excellent Film Achievement.
Plot
On a rugged, poverty-stricken island off the coast of Brittany many of the inhabitants spend their time as wreckers preying on shipwrecks. Their wildness forces the parish priest to take refuge on the mainland. A fisherman steps forward to take his place and tries to uphold religion on the island.
Locations
With the exception of the prologue, the exterior scenes were shot in Plouguerneau and not on the island of Sein, due to the local inhabitants' distrust. As noted by actor Pierre Fresnay, most filming was done on a set for the island village built in Pantin, a northeastern suburb of Paris.
Cast
Pierre Fresnay as Thomas Gourvennec
Madeleine Robinson as Jeanne Gourvennec
Daniel Gélin as Joseph le Berre
Antoine Balpêtré as Le père Gourvennec, un pêcheur
Germaine Kerjean as Mme Kerneis
Sylvie as Coise Karbacen
Jean d'Yd as Corentin Gourvennec
Daniel Ivernel as François Guillen
Raphaël Patorni as Jules
Lucienne Bogaert as Anaïs Le Berre
Marcel Delaître as M. Kerneis
Fernand René as Yves Lannuzel
Charles Bouillaud as Le gendarme
René Génin as Le père d'Yvon
Jean Brochard as L'abbé Kerhervé, le recteur de Lescoff
Jean Carmet as Yvon
Andrée Clément as Scholastique Kerneis
Marcelle Géniat as La mère Gourvennec
Jérôme Goulven as Le brigadier
Cécyl Marcyl as La vieille
Albert Michel as Le Bail
Jean-Pierre Mocky as Pierre
Pierre Moncorbier as Un pêcheur
References
Bibliography
Johnson, William Bruce. Miracles & Sacrilege: Roberto Rossellini, the Church and Film Censorship in Hollywood. University of Toronto Press, 2008.
External links
God Needs Men at IMDb
Text from God Needs Men on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Needs_Men
Trivia
- It premiered on October 3, 1950, a Tuesday.
- It runs 1h40 — a typical feature length.
- Its original title is "Dieu a besoin des hommes".
- This film's quiz has 11 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosTranscontinental Films
- CountriesFrance
- LanguagesFrench
- StatusReleased
More about this film
Set in
- Finistère
Cast
-
Pierre Fresnay
Thomas Gourvennec -
Madeleine Robinson
Jeanne Gourvennec -
Daniel Gélin
Joseph Le Berre -
Andrée Clément
Scholastique Kerneis -
Jean Brochard
Abbot Kerhervé -
Sylvie
Coise Karbacen -
Antoine Balpêtré
Father Gourvennec - Germaine Kerjean Mrs. Kermeis
-
Daniel Ivernel
François Guillen -
Jean-Pierre Mocky
Pierre -
Jean d'Yd
Corentin Gourvennec -
Raphaël Patorni
Jules -
Marcel Delaître
Monsieur Kerneis -
Fernand René
Yves Lannuzel -
Albert Michel
Le Bail -
René Génin
Yvon's father -
Jean Carmet
Yvon -
Jérôme Goulven
Brigadier - Cécyl Marcyl Old woman
-
Charles Bouillaud
Gendarme
Quiz about this movie
Questions from the whole catalogue.
Play nowIf you liked this one
-
A Adolescente
7.0
-
O Refúgio
6.1
-
Meu Irmão
6.5
-
All of a Sudden
7.9
-
The Cage
6.0
-
As Crianças Estão Bem
6.9
-
Jogo Duplo
5.9
-
Chaos
6.4
-
24 Days
6.6
-
As Bestas
7.5
-
A fratura
6.6
-
Três Cristos
6.7
Crew
- Robert Lefebvre Cinematography
- Jean Delannoy Director
- James Cuenet Editing
- Paul Graetz Producer
- René Cloërec Original music
- Jean Aurenche Screenplay
- Pierre Bost Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is God Needs Men about?
God Needs Men: The inhabitants of the windswept island of Sein, in the 19th-century Brittany, follow their own religion without need for clergy, but as strangers arrive, their faith and beliefs face a deep crisis.
Who directed God Needs Men?
God Needs Men was directed by Jean Delannoy in 1950.
Who stars in God Needs Men?
The cast of God Needs Men includes Pierre Fresnay, Madeleine Robinson, Daniel Gélin, Andrée Clément and Jean Brochard.
How long is God Needs Men?
God Needs Men runs for 100 minutes, or 1h40.
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Page updated on 09/12/2026.
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