Unlike traditional representations of Europe’s Popular Front, The Hardline Right traces the rise of the far right in Europe from 1935 to 1939, during the buildup to World Wr Two, by telling the story of industrialist François Salmon, a prominent memeber of the richest families in Europe and founder of Salmon Automobiles. Seeing the victory of the Left as a threat to his family and class, Salmon joined the “Cagoule”, a far right movement led by Delonce. The group’s members were anti-Communist and anti-Semite reactionaries working behind the scenes to overthrow the Republic, hopefully with support from the Army. But the pilot was uncovered by the Interior Ministry who leaked the existence of the conspiracy to the press. It goes without saying that no one – neither Salmon nor his family – escaped the misadventure unscathed.

There have been a good thousand films or television programs chronicling the history of leftist Europe between 1936 and 19338. And yet one extremely important subject has remained taboo even to this day: the reactions, thoughts and actions of the hardline right. Marcel Bluwal has put together four 53-minute films telling the fictionalized story of one of Europe’s richest families during this period. Following an imaginary family, his sage goes well beyond the borders of geography or time, surpassing the historical facts it portrays to echo our own era.