Is All the Light We Cannot See based on a true story, and what are the real events and facts behind the Netflix drama? The series has proven to be a hit in the U.S. and beyond, with many wondering if the people and events depicted in the show are real or a work of fiction. So what’s the truth behind it?
Is All the Light We Cannot See based on a true story?
No, All the Light We Cannot See is not based on a true story. However, it is based on a real war, as it’s a work of fiction that takes place during World War 2.
The limited series is based on author Anthony Doerr’s award-winning novel of the same name, and while it certainly pulls its inspiration from real-world events, its characters and their specific stories are fictional.
The series and the war novel it’s based on uses the backdrop of WW2 to tell its story, revolving around the characters Marie-Laure LeBlanc and Werner Pfennig and taking place during real historical events such as the Battle of Saint-Malo in France.
Author Doerr took his inspiration for the novel during a 2004 train journey to New York City, where he watched a disgruntled passenger grow angry after his phone call disconnected. This made Doerr want to tell a story about the power of long-distance communication, with Saint-Malo being chosen as its setting after he visited the coastal town in 2005.
All the Light We Cannot See’s real events and facts explained
Image: Netflix
The Battle of Saint-Malo in Brittany, France, was a real conflict during World War 2, with the Allied and German forces battling to take control of the French coastal town. The Nazi invasion of Paris was also real, which caused protagonist Marie-Laure LeBlanc to flee the capital in the series and book.
Director Shawn Levy worked hard to make sure that the locations depicted in the series were accurate, telling Town and Country Mag: “Many of the events portrayed in both the book and the show are historic and real: The bombing of Saint-Malo to liberate that part of France from the German occupation, the invasion of Paris by the Nazis, and the mass exodus that took place as a result, these are real events and I needed to honor them with similitude in the design of this show.”
Levy worked with a wide team of designers and filmmakers to achieve this goal, ensuring that the little details of this time period were accurately captured. This means that even though the film’s story may not have actually taken place, its setting
The real people behind All the Light We Cannot See’s characters
All the Light We Cannot See features a cast of fictional characters against its real World War 2 backdrop. The 1944 Saint-Malo siege is real, but its central characters are not.
Was Marie-Laure LeBlanc a real person?
No, Marie-Laure Blanc is a fictional character in the series. A resilient French teenager who learns how to overcome adversity after going blind at a young age, LeBlanc is one of the limited series’ two central protagonists. She is based on the character of the same name in Doerr’s novel.
Was Werner Pfennig a real person?
No, Werner Pfennig was not a real person. In the limited series and novel, he is a bright young German engineer who is influenced by the Nazi regime. He is a fictional character in the series, based on the character of the same name in Doerr’s novel.
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