Lacombe Lucien (1974)

Director:

Louis Malle

Writers:

Louis Malle (writer)
Patrick Modiano (writer)

Release Date:

29 September 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A small town in the south-west of France, summer of 1944. Having failed to join the resistance, the 18 year old Lucien Lacombe...

Plot Keywords:

Tailor | Collaborator | Secret Police | Controversial | Character Study

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Pierre Blaise	...	Lucien Lacombe
Aurore Clément	...	France Horn
Holger Löwenadler	...	Albert Horn, the tailor
Therese Giehse	...	Bella Horn
Stéphane Bouy	...	Jean-Bernard
Loumi Iacobesco	...	Betty Beaulieu
René Bouloc	...	Faure
Pierre Decazes	...	Aubert
Jean Rougerie	...	Tonin, the chief of police
Cécile Ricard	...	Marie, the hotel maid
Jacqueline Staup	...	Lucienne Chauvelot
Ave Ninchi	...	Mme Georges
Pierre Saintons	...	Hippolyte, the black collaborator
Gilberte Rivet	...	Lucien's mother
Jacques Rispal	...	M. Laborit, le propriétaire

Also Known As:

Cognome e nome: Lacombe Lucien (Italy)
Lacombe, Lucien (USA)

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

France | West Germany | Italy

Language:

French | German | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (bw)

Filming Locations:

Figeac, Lot, France

Company:

Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)

Quotes:

Lucien Lacombe: I don't like people talking down to me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

One of Malle's finest comes to DVD

Of all of the hundreds of foreign films I've seen through my 42 years, one has stood out in mind – a film I first saw in 1979 and again in 1980. "Lacombe, Lucien," director Louis Malle's searing, powerful film of innocence lost and how power corrupts, is one of the great films in French cinema. That the French themselves criticized the film on its initial release is amazing. That this film has gone for so long without a proper DVD release is unforgivable. The drought of its release to home video is about to end. The Criterion Collection is releasing "Lacombe, Lucien" as part of a three film box set retrospective on Mallle's French films ("Au Revoir Les Infant" and "Murmus of the Heart," two great Malle's features in their own right). "Lacombe, Lucien" also will be available separately by itself. Either way, modern American audiences will finally be able to see this film. And they won't be disappointed. Malle's film tells the story about a young French boy who joins the Nazis and snubs the French Resistance during the German occupation of France. From the powerful performances all the way to Malle's meticulous production design that beautifully recreates period France, this film is unbeatable. As much as I enjoy watching Truffaut films, nothing compares to the genius of Malle. From his French films to his American productions, Malle truly was a genius of the cinema. I suggest you buy the three-film retrospective. Or at the least, but "Lacombe Lucien."