Exhibition: “Jean Gabin, la guerre c’est pas du cinéma
From April 1, 2023 to May 20, 2024
Discover the incredible journey and commitment of French cinema icon Jean Gabin during the Second World War. In this exceptional exhibition at the Normandy Victory Museum in Carentan. Dozens of personal items are on display, along with previously unpublished photos and archives, as well as a tank like the one he led. Numerous events will take place during the exhibition, which will welcome Jean Gabin’s son Mathias Moncorgé on several occasions.
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80 years later: a tribute to Jean Gabin, the fighter
From April 1 to November 5, 2023 May 2024 at the Normandy Victory Museum, discover Jean Gabin’s involvement during World War II, eighty years after he enlisted in the United States in April 1943.
Inside this exhibition on more than 200m2, you will discover dozens of personal pieces of the actor (including the jacket worn during “La traversée de Paris”), photos and unpublished archives, audiovisual resources … A Tank Destroyer M10, identical to the famous “Souffleur II” led by Jean Gabin at the end of the war, will also be on display.
Don’t miss this exceptional exhibition created in partnership with the Society of Friends of the Jean Gabin Museum in Mériel (Val d’Oise) and the Musée des blindés de Saumur with the assistance of Patrick Glâtre (Curator of the Jean Gabin Museum) and Mathias Moncorgé, son of Jean Gabin.
Do you know Jean Gabin, the fighter?
A man who constantly refuses the easy way
After the 1940 debacle and the beginning of the occupation, many show business personalities stayed in Paris and adapted to the new established order. However, in February 1941, the idea of continuing his profession and his life under these conditions being unbearable to him, Gabin decided to leave for the United States, leaving everything behind. While a career in Hollywood was in his sights, the same desire not to remain “hidden” and to do something for his country animated him when in 1943, he made his request to join the French fighting forces and thus return to the old continent.
When Jean Gabin takes back the name of Jean Moncorgé
After shooting The Imposter at the request of General De Gaulle, a propaganda film for the Leclerc army in Africa, his wish was finally granted. He then became a second master in the marine fusiliers under his real name: Jean Moncorgé. An instructor in Algeria during 1944, he finally managed to integrate the Armored Regiment of the Marine Fusiliers, under the direction of General Leclerc, with whom he landed in Brest in January 1945. For the few months of the war that remained, Jean Moncorgé, claustrophobic and pyrophobic, commanded the Souffleur II tank and took part in the fighting in Alsace-Moselle, in the Royan pocket, and then in the capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest, in Berchtesgaden.
After the war, discretion is key
This episode of the actor’s life is very little known to the general public, even to his fans. Indeed, only a few weeks after the war, when he was invited to parade on the Champs-Elysees alongside his comrades in arms, Gabin declined and preferred to stand back. He did not want what he considered to be simply a duty done to be elevated to heroism. He will cultivate until the end of his life this modesty about the events that, by his own admission, gave him his first white hair.
80 years later, it is important to highlight the role of those who, like Jean Gabin, refused to take the easy way out, and were ready to put their lives on the line to liberate their country. Because definitely, “War ain’t no cinema”.
» Thursday, March 30, 2023: official inauguration by invitation.
Book on sale at the museum and in our online shop
Questions you may have
+ Where is the Jean Gabin exhibition?
The Jean Gabin exhibition, “La guerre, c’est pas du cinéma” is located inside the Normandy Victory Museum in a room reserved for temporary exhibitions.
+ When is the Jean Gabin exhibition?
The Jean Gabin exhibition “La guerre, c’est pas du cinéma” has been extended and will be held at the Normandy Victory Museum until May 20, 2024.
+ Does the Jean Gabin exhibition have a fee?
The exhibition Jean Gabin, “La guerre, c’est pas du cinéma” is accessible with a entrance ticket to the museum. You don’t pay more. That is to say 9€ for adults / 6€ for children from 7 to 17 years old, students, teachers, soldiers, PMR / Free for children up to 6 years old.
+ I have an Ambassador card, what does it give me?
If you hold a Normandy Victory Museum ambassador card, you will benefit from VIP advantages sent directly to you (invitation, priority placement, etc.) Join the ambassador program
Buy your entry ticket
This exceptional exhibition on Jean Gabin takes place at the Normandy Victory Museum near Carentan from April 1 to May 20, 2024. Buy your tickets now (access to the exhibition is included in your museum admission ticket).
… upcoming events
D-DAY 80 – 80th anniversary of D-Day
[ June 1 to 12, 2024 ] An exceptional D-Day anniversary will take place in 2024. The whole of Normandy is mobilized to pay international tribute to those who reopened the gates of freedom in Europe. The Normandy Victory Museum is preparing a rich program for visitors. It will soon be online. Sign up to receive it.
COBRA 44 – Commemorative Festival – 2024 Edition
[ 20 – 21 July 2024 ] For two days and for the fourth edition of the COBRA 44 festival, the Normandy Victory Museum commemorates the end of the Battle of the Hedges and becomes an open-air museum. The program will be online soon. Sign up to receive it.
Push open the doors of history
Visit the Normandy Victory Museum Museum of the Battle of the Hedges. We are in Normandy, Manche dpt, France