Au Revoir les Enfants (1987)

Au Revoir les Enfants  (1987)

Genre(s): 4 Bones, Childhood Visions, Coming of Age, Judaism, POW/MIA, School Daze, The Holocaust, This Is Your Life, True Stories, World War II

Cast: Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejto, Francine Racette, Stanislas Carre de Malberg, Philippe Morier-Genoud, Francois Berleand, Peter Fitz, Francois Negret, Irene Jacob, Pascal Rivet, Benoit Henriet, Richard Leboeuf, Xavier Legrand, Arnaud Henriet, Jean-Sebastien Chauvin, Luc Etienne; DIRECTED BY: Louis Malle; PRODUCER: MK2, Stella, NEF, Louis Malle Nouvelles Editions de Films;

Awards: British Acad. 1988: Director (Malle); Cesar 1988: Art Dir./Set Dec., Cinematog., Director (Malle), Film, Sound, Writing; L.A. Film Critics 1987: Foreign Film; Venice Film Fest. 1987: Film.

Review: During the Nazi occupation of France in the 1940s, the headmaster of a Catholic boarding school hides three Jewish boys among the other students by altering their names and identities. Two of the students, Julien (Manesse) and Jean (Fejto), form a friendship that ends tragically when Jean and the other boys are discovered and taken away by the Gestapo. Compelling and emotionally wrenching coming of age tale based on an incident from director Malle's childhood is considered to be his best film to date and quite possibly the best he will ever make. In French with English subtitles. Other 1987 movies with similar themes are "Hope and Glory" and "Empire of the Sun."

NSS: 87-666