Featured on war memorials in 900 communes across France, the statue of the “Victorious Soldier” has embodied for over a century the image of a heroic, invincible soldier, frozen in glory. A workshop model, created by sculptor Eugène Benet, opens the permanent exhibition of the Museum of the Great War in Meaux, reminding visitors that in every commune in France, a war memorial honors the sacrifice made by those children who died for their country during the Great War. But what does this symbol of victory truly conceal?
Part of the BBDO Paris campaign “Broken Souls” for the Museum of the Great War, this film about the Victorious Soldier offers a moving reinterpretation of this national symbol. Through a series of close-up shots of a static and triumphant statue, we are drawn into an intimate and deeply troubling exploration.
Carried by the music “Remains” by Volker Bertelmann and the voice of Finnegan Oldfield, the narrative gradually fractures the frozen image.
Behind his triumphant posture emerge other realities: fear, anguish, distress. The cry of victory transforms into an inner cry–silent yet deafening. The inner cry of a soldier who returned alive, but forever traumatized.
By subverting a symbol deeply rooted in collective memory, “The Victorious Soldier” shifts our perspective: beyond the hero, it reveals the man.
With this film–directed by BBDO Paris art director Julien Beuvry via production company WAD–the museum continues its mission: to uncover a more human and lasting memory of war, shedding light on those soldiers for whom suffering did not end when combat ceased.
The film is on the Museum of the Great War’s website and social media.
