Small Change (1976)
"L'argent de poche" (original title)

In the town of Thiers, summer of 1976, teachers and parents give their children skills, love, and attention. A teacher has his first child, a single mother hopes to meet Mr. Right, another ... See full summary »

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

François Truffaut (original scenario), Suzanne Schiffman (original scenario)

Stars:

Nicole Félix, Chantal Mercier, Philippe Goldmann

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicole Félix	...	Grégory's mother (as Nicole Felix)
Chantal Mercier	...	Chantal Petit, the Schoolteacher
Jean-François Stévenin	...	Jean-François Richet, the Schoolteacher (as Jean-François Stevenin)
Virginie Thévenet	...	Lydie Richet (as Virginie Thevenet)
Tania Torrens	...	Nadine Riffle, hairdresser
René Barnerias	...	Monsieur Desmouceaux, Patrick's father
Katy Carayon	...	Sylvie's Mother
Jean-Marie Carayon	...	Police inspector, Sylvie's father
Annie Chevaldonne	...	Nurse
Francis Devlaeminck	...	Monsieur Riffle, hairdresser, Laurent's father
Michel Dissart	...	Monsieur Lomay, constable
Michele Heyraud	...	Madame Deluca
Paul Heyraud	...	Monsieur Deluca
Jeanne Lobre	...	Julien's grandmother (as Jane Lobre)
Vincent Touly	...	Concierge

Storyline

In the town of Thiers, summer of 1976, teachers and parents give their children skills, love, and attention. A teacher has his first child, a single mother hopes to meet Mr. Right, another mom reaches out to Patrick, a motherless lad who is just discovering the opposite sex. Patrick befriends Julien, a new student who lives in poverty with his mother and has a terrible secret. Bruno shows his friends how to chat up girls. Sylvie stages a witty protest against her parents. Brothers give a friend a haircut. A toddler falls from a window and is unhurt. Everybody goes to the cinema. At camp, Martine catches Patrick's eye. A teacher explains: "Life is hard, but it's wonderful."

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Plot Keywords:

teacher | cinema | poverty | children | 1970s | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

17 March 1976 (France)

Also Known As:

Small Change

Filming Locations:

Allier, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$4,624 (USA) (27 November 2009)

Gross:

$38,296 (USA) (17 May 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Carrosse, Les Productions Artistes Associés

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

François Truffaut:  Sitting in a cabriolet, wearing his standard blue shirt in the first minute of the film.

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Quotes

Jean-François Richet, the Schoolteacher: I know we are all thinking about Julien Leclou. It's in the press... and you've heard your parents talking at home. Before you go on vacation... let's talk about Julien. I don't know much more than you do... but I'll tell you how I feel. First, Julien will be taken care of by Welfare. He will be placed in a family. Wherever he goes, he'll be better off than in his own home... where, in his own words, "he was beaten." His mother shall lose her maternal right. For Julien, it may be quite a few ...

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Connections

Featured in Sneak Previews: The Best of 1976 (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Les enfants s'ennuient le dimanche"
Written and Performed by Charles Trenet

User Reviews

Children's realm.

When this film was released,one French critic,Gilles Colpart wrote that TRuffaut did better when he focused on a main character,Antoine Doinel,for instance.At least here,we do not have to stand Jean-Pierre Léaud's mannerism.The people who watch Léaud's movies dubbed in English cannot imagine how lucky they are.Gone is Léaud,gone is Truffaut's sometimes smugness and pretension.Here we find what Truffaut does best:a movie about children played by children (he had brilliantly succeeded in the very hard task of bringing Victor the "wild child" to the screen)A lot of humor (a quality that is not generally Truffaut's forte),a lot of plots and subplots masterfully intertwined,no stars ,and a lot of spontaneity too.These vignettes are often delightful:the reluctant student declaiming Molière,the girl who "has already slept with a boy"(What did he do when you were in bed?her best friend asks-Oh,he read a comic strip, was the answer),the boy who says to his friend's mother "thanks for this frugal meal" after having swallowed a whole lot of food.But Truffaut,present in the movie through the schoolteacher character,does not give up more serious topics:here mistreated children.After he discovered one of his pupils suffered such physical cruelty,the schoolteacher explains this problem to his school mates with delicacy and intelligence,as if they were adults.Don't miss this simple,yet heart-warming movie.