Bolero (1981)
"Les uns et les autres" (original title)

Trough fabulous Music this movie tracks three generations of musicians and dancers from Russia, Germany, France and the USA, from before World War II through the war and the Holocaust, to ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Lelouch

Writer:

Claude Lelouch

Stars:

Robert Hossein, Nicole Garcia, Geraldine Chaplin

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Hossein	...	Simon Meyer / Robert Prat
Nicole Garcia	...	Anne Meyer
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Suzan / Sara Glenn
Daniel Olbrychski	...	Karl Kremer
Jorge Donn	...	Boris & Sergei Itovitch / Lead Dancer of Boléro
Rita Poelvoorde	...	Tatiana & Tania Itovitch
Macha Méril	...	Magda Kremer
Evelyne Bouix	...	Evelyne / Edith
Francis Huster	...	Francis
Raymond Pellegrin	...	M. Raymond
Paul Préboist	...	Le grand-père d'Edith
Jean-Claude Brialy	...	Le directeur du Lido
Marthe Villalonga	...	La grand-mère d'Edith
Fanny Ardant	...	Véronique
Jacques Villeret	...	Jacques

Storyline

Trough fabulous Music this movie tracks three generations of musicians and dancers from Russia, Germany, France and the USA, from before World War II through the war and the Holocaust, to the 1980s. Their lives become intertwined through the historical circumstances, and the culmination is the presence of several, including a former Nazi pianist and a French Jewish Holocaust survivor at an anti-famine concert

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Plot Keywords:

nazi | dance | anti semitism | twin | paris france | 

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Taglines:

Claude Lelouch of "A Man and A Woman" fame, now presents a visual masterpiece of love, music and life . . .

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English German Russian

Release Date:

27 May 1981 (France)

Also Known As:

Bolero

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films 13, TF1

Technical Specs

Runtime:

184 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby 70 mm 6-Track

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Francis Lai:  The composer appears as the blind accordion player.

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Crazy Credits

The grand majority of the opening credits are spoken by the narrator. The narrator stops after crediting the choreographer. Only the film's production company, title and the name Claude Lelouch appear in writing before the Bolero dance at the opening (when the writing is onscreen, the orchestra is warming up). Also, a quote by Willa Cather appears at the very beginning.

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Connections

Edited into Les uns et les autres (1981)

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Soundtracks

"Body and Soul Incorporated"
Music by Michel Legrand
Lyrics by Boris Bergman
Performed by Francis Huster and Manuel Gélin

User Reviews

The Masterpiece of Claude Lelouch

Along three generations, the lives of different families in Russia, France, Germany and United States of America, all of them connected to music and dance, are affected by the World War II. In Russia, the Bolshoi ballerina Tatiana Itovitch (Rita Poelvoorde) loses her husband, the musician Boris Itovitch (Jorge Donn), in the Russian front. She raises alone their son, the professional dancer Sergei (Jorge Donn), who escapes from Soviet Union and coming to have a daughter, the also ballerina Tania. In France, the Jewish violinist Anne Meyer (Nicole Garcia) marries the pianist Simon Meyer (Robert Hossein), and both are sent to a concentration camp, where Simon dies. On the train travel to the camp, Simon leaves their baby sun on the trails and he is raised by a priest, becoming the lawyer Robert Prat (Robert Hossein), who has a professional singer son. Also in France, in Paris after the war, the singer Evelyne (Evelyne Bouix) is accused of sleeping with the enemy, and moves to Dijon, where she has a daughter, Edith (Evelyne Bouix). In Germany, the pianist and conductor Karl Kremer (Daniel Olbrychski) leaves his wife Magda Kremer (Macha Méril) and their son to fight in the war. In USA, the famous pop singer Jack Glenn (James Caan) leaves his wife Suzan Glenn (Geraldine Chaplin) to join the army and entertain the troops in London. Their gay son Jason Glenn (James Caan) and daughter, the singer Sara Glenn (Geraldine Chaplin) become important persons in the show business. Their lives are crossed in a Red Cross presentation of the Ravel's Bolero in Paris. "Les Uns et les Autres" is the masterpiece of Claude Lelouch and is one of my favorite movies ever. First time I saw it I was amazed with such a magnificent story. The direction, the story, the cast, the soundtrack, the location, everything works perfectly in this overwhelming film. The long scenes are fantastically well filmed and Claude Lelouch was certainly inspired when he made this wonder. Only a couple of months ago, this DVD was released in Brazil by the Brazilian distributor "Classicline" and yesterday I saw it again, for my delight after twenty and something years. The unknown Sharon Stone has a minor uncredited participation in the end of the movie, watching the show on TV in bed with Jack Glenn. "Les Uns et les Autres" is a highly recommended movie, for lovers of arts and cinema. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Retratos da Vida" ("Pictures of the Life)