The Proud Ones (1980)
"Le cheval d'orgueil" (original title)

In early twentieth-century Brittany, two peasants marry, have a son, and live in traditional Breton ways: three generations under one roof, a division of labor between the sexes, elders' ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Chabrol

Writers:

Pierre-Jakez Helias (based on the book by), Daniel Boulanger (adaptation)

Stars:

Jacques Dufilho, Bernadette Le Saché, François Cluzet

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jacques Dufilho	...	Alain, le grand-père
Bernadette Le Saché	...	Anne-Marie, la mère
François Cluzet	...	Pierre-Alain, le père
Paul Le Person	...	Gourgon, le facteur
Pierre Le Rumeur	...	Le conteur
Michel Robin	...	Le marquis
Ronan Hubert	...	Pierre-Jacques à 7 ans
Armel Hubert	...	Pierre-Jacques à 11 ans
Dominique Lavanant	...	Marie-Jeanne, la sage-femme
Michel Blanc	...	Corentin Calvez
Georges Wilson	...	Récitant / Narrator (voice)
Jean-Claude Bouillaud
Laurence Caubet
Jacques Chailleux	...	Jeannot les mille métiers
Odile Chapal

Storyline

In early twentieth-century Brittany, two peasants marry, have a son, and live in traditional Breton ways: three generations under one roof, a division of labor between the sexes, elders' stories at night, politics and religion during their little free time. Times are hard: la Chienne du Monde drives some to suicide; Ankou (death) is close at hand. Pierre is born into this republican family, his lyric childhood interrupted by the outbreak of war and his father's conscription. He learns his catechism and, as a child of a Reds, also reveres school. His grandfather and father often put him on their shoulders, giving him a ride on the horse of pride.

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Plot Keywords:

peasant | horse | childhood | grandfather | brittany | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

December 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Horse of Pride

Filming Locations:

Quimper, Finistère, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bela Productions, TF1, Planfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

User Reviews

A thoroughly wonderful movie

This is a thoroughly wonderful movie made, unfortunately, for a steadily shrinking audience. Pier-Jakes Helias' Chevel d'orgueil is not a novel, but a memoire that recounts not just one child's life, but the entire culture in which he lived, inland Brittany (l'Argoat) primarily before World War I. The movie has no plot as such. It is a series of vignettes that illustrate, very well, different aspects of Breton inland life at the time. The dialogue is sometimes in Breton, sometimes in French, depending (largely but not always) on what language the characters would actually have spoken in a given situation.

The unfortunate thing about this very good movie is that it really doesn't explain the culture it presents, it just presents it. As a result, if you are not already familiar with the culture it presents, a lot of it will not mean very much to you. While I generally don't like voice-over commentary, this is one movie that, for most non-Breton viewers, would greatly benefit from one.

So, a wonderful movie. But, I concede, one that will not mean a lot to those not already immersed in inland Breton culture.