À Nous la Liberté (1931)

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104 min - Comedy | Musical - 31 December 1931 (USA)

7.7

Ratings: 7.7/10 from 2,014 users
Reviews: 28 user | 30 critic

A famous left-wing satirical comedy about two ex-convicts, one of whom escaped jail and then worked his way up from salesman to factory owner... See full summary »

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Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
	Henri Marchand	...	Émile
	Raymond Cordy	...	Louis
	Rolla France	...	Jeanne
	Paul Ollivier	...	L'oncle (as Paul Olivier)
	Jacques Shelly	...	Paul
	André Michaud	...	Le contremaitre
	Germaine Aussey	...	Maud - la femme de Louis
	Léon Lorin	...	Le vieux monsieur sourd
	William Burke	...	L'ancien détenu
	Vincent Hyspa	...	Le vieil orateur

Full cast and crew »

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Storyline

A famous left-wing satirical comedy about two ex-convicts, one of whom escaped jail and then worked his way up from salesman to factory owner, where he oversees a highly mechanized operation where the workers are reduced to mere automatons. Fearful of being exposed over his past, at first by his friend and later by another gangster, the owner chooses to give his factory to the workers, then escapes with his friend to the freedom of the open road. The production company for "A Nous la Liberte" was for more than a decade embroiled in a lawsuit claiming that Charles Chaplin had seen their film and plagiarized many ideas from it as he developed "Modern Times." Written by footsperry

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Plot Keywords:

Taglines:

Le chef-d'oeuvre de René Clair

Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

31 December 1931 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Es lebe die Freiheit See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films Sonores Tobis See more »

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min | USA: 83 min (re-release) | USA: 97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

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Did You Know?

Trivia

When Charles Chaplin's Modern Times premiered, the original distribution company of À nous la liberté, Tobis, wanted to sue. Director René Clair refused to join such a suit, saying that he considered it a compliment if Charles Chaplin based his film on René Clair's, but the suit went ahead nevertheless. Tobis, sued United Artists and Charles Chaplin for plagiarism. The suit, with separate segments in France and in the US, went on for more than a decade, right through WWII. Charles Chaplin, at the request of his lawyers, finally settled, but never admitted to the charge. René Clair stayed aloof from the affair, and he and Charles Chaplin, whom he greatly admired, remained friends. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
[Voice over Singer]: Liberty is the happy man's due / He enjoys love and skies of blue / But then there are some / Who no worse crimes have done / It's the sad story we tell / From a prison cell
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Connections

Featured in "Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood: End of an Era (#1.6)" (1995) See more »

À Nous la Liberté (1931)
À nous la liberté (original title)

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