Après 1560 jours d'une guerre extrêmement meurtrière et pour la première fois mondiale, le 11 novembre 1918, à 11h précises, les cloches ont sonné partout en France pour annoncer que les combats ont cessé. Des images d'archives en France, en Angleterre et aux Etats-Unis montrent l'accueil consécutif à l'annonce de l'armistice. Mais cette liesse qu'elles nous montrent était-elle générale, spontanée ou mise en scène ?
On November 11, 1918 at dawn, the armistice marking the end of the fighting in the First World War was signed between Germany and the victorious Allies. But in France as in England, the news is not announced until 11 am sharp.
The devastating First World War had lasted 1,560 days when, on November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m. sharp, church bells rang all over France. They announced the armistice signed at dawn between Germany and the victorious Allies. On the other side of the Atlantic, the armistice was celebrated a little earlier due to the time difference. As in New York and Washington, numerous cameras in Paris and London captured the cheering on the streets for eternity. But were these victory celebrations really that spontaneous, or were they staged? Were reporters free to choose where to film and show what they wanted? On whose behalf were they working? Has the censorship that prevailed during the war already been lifted?
