The 317th Platoon (French, La 317e Section) is a French motion picture, directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer and released in 1965. It stars Jacques Perrin as Lieutenant Torrens, Bruno Cremer as Adjutant Willsdorf and Pierre Fabre as Sergeant Roudier.

The 317th Platoon was based on a book written by Pierre Schoendoerffer two years earlier. It is set in 1954, as the First Indochinese War between the Viet Minh and the French nears its conclusion.

The eponymous platoon, containing four French soldiers and 41 Laotians, finds itself trapped behind enemy lines. Under the command of the idealistic but inexperienced Lieutenant Torrens, and the battle-hardened Wehrmacht veteran Sergeant Willsdorf, the men begin a frantic retreat from Dien Bien Phu to northern Laos. Along the way their numbers are eroded by enemy attacks and disease until, as the postscript tells us, “the 317th Platoon was no more”.

The 317th Platoon is notable for its realism and effective portrayal of jungle warfare. The 317th Platoon was shot in the Cambodian jungle at a time of growing tensions in Indochina. Both its director, Pierre Schoendoerffer, and cinematographer, Raoul Coutard, were veterans of the First Indochina War. Schoendoerffer was parachuted into Dien Bien Phu as a war correspondent in 1954. He spent several weeks filming the siege, before being captured by the Viet Minh and held in a prison camp for four months.

Shot in black and white, The 317th Platoon uses authentic locations and chaotic battle scenes to recreate the experiences of French soldiers. Many veterans of the Indochinese conflicts have nominated this film as the best cinematic depiction of this conflict.

---

Content on this page is © Alpha History 2022. Content created by Alpha History may not be copied, republished or redistributed without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use.