Le Bal (1983)
"Le bal" (original title)

The 50 year story of a ballroom in France, from the 1920s. The people who go there is always the same, even the musicians. You can see all kind of people dancing all the fashion dances (... See full summary »

Director:

Ettore Scola

Writers:

Jean-Claude Penchenat (idea), Ruggero Maccari (screenplay),

Stars:

Étienne Guichard, Régis Bouquet, Francesco De Rosa

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Étienne Guichard	...	Le jeune étudiant de province / Le jeune professeur
Régis Bouquet	...	Le patron de la salle / Le paysan
Francesco De Rosa	...	Toni, le jeune serveur
Arnault LeCarpentier	...	Le jeune typographe / L'étudiant
Liliane Delval	...	La fille aux cheveux longs / L'alcoolique (as Liliane Léotard)
Martine Chauvin	...	La jeune fleuriste / L'étudiante
Danielle Rochard	...	La livreuse d'une modiste
Nani Noël	...	La fille de joie / La jeune juive / La refugiée / La jeune qui peint ses basses
Aziz Arbia	...	Le jeune ouvrier
Marc Berman	...	L'aristo / Le planqué / Le collaborationiste
Geneviève Rey-Penchenat	...	L'aristo
Michel van Speybroeck	...	L'homme qui vient de loin / Jean Gabin
Rossana Di Lorenzo	...	La dame-pipi
Michel Toty	...	L'ouvrier spécialisé
Raymonde Heudeline	...	L'ouvrière

Storyline

The 50 year story of a ballroom in France, from the 1920s. The people who go there is always the same, even the musicians. You can see all kind of people dancing all the fashion dances (depending on the age).

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Plot Keywords:

dance | dance hall | single set production | chanson

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Genres:

History | Musical

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Details

Country:

Italy France Algeria

Release Date:

21 December 1983 (France)

Also Known As:

Le Bal

Company Credits

Production Co:

Massfilm, Cinéproduction, Films A2

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Et maintenant"
Written by Pierre Delanoë and Gilbert Bécaud

User Reviews

Awesome, history of 20th century France as the history of a dancing

J'ai été enchanté.

Ironically this film was nominated for the Oscar as the best foreign language film. It is not a foreign language film, it is a film without language, no spoken word. Everything that is worth to be told is told with music and dance. We see the history of the 20th century France as the history of a dancing. Times change and the dance changes with time. So the problems that people face change. Decay of the aristocracy, German occupation, youth revolution of 68, racial conflicts, everything can be seen on this dancing as well as the love, aspirations, despair, hatred.

The film is one of my personal best 25.