Le Ciel est à vous (The Sky is Yours), the feminist cinema of Jean Grémillon

Picture of the movie Le Ciel est à Vous ( The Sky is Yours ) © 1944 TF1 DROITS AUDIOVISUELS

Known for his masterpieces Gueule d’amour (Lady Killer, 1937) and L’étrange Monsieur Victor (The Strange Monsieur Victor, 1938), Jean Grémillon made Le Ciel est à vous (The Sky is Yours) in 1944 – a dramatic comedy which recounted the sporting feats of a young woman passionate about aviation. A tale of the triumph of determination, the film turned out to be the greatest success of his career. Cannes Classics gives us a chance to rediscover this cult work in a restored version. 

Inspired by a true story that took place in 1935, Le Ciel est à vous (The Sky is Yours) paints an affectionate portrait of a working class family, turfed out of their home to make way for an airfield. When she is offered a job in Limoges, Thérèse leaves the family home for a few months, during which time her husband Pierre regains a taste for his passion for aviation. Upon her return, Thérèse accepts the challenge of boarding and discovers the joy of flying. Together, they decided to build the machine by hand that will allow Therese to realise her dream: to break the female distance record in aviation.  

With Le Ciel est à vous (The Sky is Yours), Jean Grémillon brings us an anti-Vichy work promoting French heroism and calling for the Resistance. The filmmaker delivers a message of hope in the heart of the French countryside and invites us to always fight for our freedom. At a time when society considered that women's true place was in the home, Jean Grémillon also promoted feminism by illustrating the story of an egalitarian couple, prepared to break gender codes.

Considered the first great feminist filmmaker, Jean Grémillon often endeavoured to depict women as heroines, thanks in particular to the actress Madeleine Renaud, whom he directed in Le Ciel est à vous (The Sky is Yours) but also in L'étrange Monsieur Victor (The Strange Monsieur Victor), Remorques (Stormy Waters) and Lumière d'été.