Danton (1983 film)

Danton
Theatrical poster
Directed by	Andrzej Wajda
Written by	Jean-Claude Carrière Andrzej Wajda Agnieszka Holland Bolesław Michałek Jacek Gąsiorowski
Based on	The Danton Case by Stanisława Przybyszewska
Produced by	Margaret Ménégoz Barbara Pec-Slesicka
Starring	Gérard Depardieu
Cinematography	Igor Luther
Edited by	Halina Prugar-Ketling
Music by	Jean Prodromidès
Distributed by	Gaumont
Release dates	12 January 1983 (1983-01-12) (France) 31 January 1983 (1983-01-31) (Poland)
Running time	136 minutes
Countries	France Poland West Germany
Language	French
Box office	$10.4 million[1]

Danton (French pronunciation: [dɑ̃tɔ̃]) is a 1983 French-language film depicting the last weeks of Georges Danton, one of the leaders of the French Revolution. It is an adaptation of the 1929 play The Danton Case by Stanisława Przybyszewska.

The film stars Gérard Depardieu in the title role, with Wojciech Pszoniak as Maximilien Robespierre, and Patrice Chéreau as Camille Desmoulins. It was directed by the Polish director Andrzej Wajda and was an international co-production between companies in France, Poland and West Germany. All supporters of Danton (with the exception of Bourdon, who would later betray him) are played by French actors, while Robespierre's allies are played by Poles. Alain Depardieu, Gérard's brother, is listed in the credits as Director of Production.

The film is not always rigidly historical. It was seen as drawing parallels between the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution and the situation in contemporary Poland, in which the Solidarity movement was struggling against the oppression of the Soviet-backed Polish communist government; however, this was denied by the filmmakers.^[2][3] The film had 1,392,779 admissions in France.^[1]