The French national anthem, the Marseillaise, has a fascinating history. A song out of the mass uprising of the revolutionary wars, originally the Marching Song of the Army of the Rhine, it has been an emblem of patriotism and nationalism.

From Jean Renoir’s La Marseillaise (1938)

From Jean Renoir’s Grand Illusion (1937), with some irony…

In the American WWII film, Casablanca (1942), played for inspiration…

And check out this website – yes, Marseillaise.org – for English lyrics, audio files, sheet music, and more!