Un dimanche à la campagne (1984)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Bertrand Tavernier

Writers:

Pierre Bost (novel)
Bertrand Tavernier (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

11 April 1984 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In France, before WWI. As every Sunday, an old painter living in the country is visited by his son Gonzague...

Plot Keywords:

Painter | Little Girl | Visit | Father Daughter Relationship | Period Piece

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 12 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Louis Ducreux	...	Monsieur Ladmiral
Michel Aumont	...	Gonzague
Sabine Azéma	...	Irène (as Sabine Azema)
Geneviève Mnich	...	Marie-Thérèse (as Genevieve Mnich)
Monique Chaumette	...	Mercédès
Thomas Duval	...	Emile
Quentin Ogier	...	Lucien
Katia Wostrikoff	...	Mireille
Claude Winter	...	Madame Ladmiral
Jean-Roger Milo	...	Fisherman (Le pêcheur)
Pascale Vignal	...	A servant (La serveuse)
Jacques Poitrenaud	...	Hector (Patron guinguette)
Valentine Suard	...	Little girl (La petite fille 1)
Erika Faivre	...	Little girl (La petite fille 2)
Marc Perrone	...	Accordionist (L'accordéoniste)

Directed by
Bertrand Tavernier

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Pierre Bost		novel "Monsieur Ladmiral Va Bientot Mourir"
Bertrand Tavernier		writer
Colo Tavernier		writer

Produced by
Alain Sarde	....	delegate producer
Bertrand Tavernier	....	producer

Cinematography by
Bruno de Keyzer		(as Bruno De Keyzer)

Film Editing by
Armand Psenny

Production Design by
Patrice Mercier

Set Decoration by
Sylvie Salmon

Costume Design by
Yvonne Sassinot de Nesle		(as Yvonne Sassinot De Nesle)

Makeup Department
Sidonie Fontata	....	key hair stylist (as Sidonie)
Eric Muller	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Thibault Chevalier	....	unit manager trainee
Gérard Gaultier	....	production manager (as Gerard Gaultier)
Jean-François Lebas	....	unit manager trainee
Karl Lefay	....	unit manager trainee

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jean Achache	....	first assistant director
Regine Dalnoky	....	second assistant director
Nadine Deichtmann	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
Jean-Pierre Deseau	....	furniture
Michel Grimaud	....	property master
Jean-Pierre Zingo	....	paintings
Clément Hurel	....	poster artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Ariane Boeglin	....	chief sound editor
Jean Duguet	....	foley recordist
Jean-Pierre Lelong	....	foley artist
Bernard Leroux	....	sound mixer
Mario Melchiorri	....	assistant foley artist
Laurent Poirier	....	first sound assistant
Guillaume Sciama	....	sound engineer
Agnès Vaurigaud	....	assistant sound editor (as Agnes Vaurigaud)
Claude Villand	....	sound mixer
Jean-Marc Lentretien	....	sound mix technician (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Yves Angelo	....	first assistant camera
Gérard Bougeant	....	grip (as Gerard Bougeant)
Philippe Brun	....	camera operator
Alain Cousseau	....	electrician
Joël David	....	chief electrician
Jean-Pierre Fizet	....	still photographer
Charlie Freess	....	key grip (as Charles Freess)
Jean-Yves Freess	....	grip
Etienne George	....	still photographer (as Etienne Georges)
Alain Grestau	....	electrician
Jean Harnois	....	camera operator
Bernard Prim	....	still photographer
Nils Tavernier	....	camera trainee

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Monique Dury	....	costumer
Marthe Mikol	....	costumer
Lily Petit	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Françoise Lefèvre	....	assistant editor (as Françoise Lefevre)
Philippe Wampfler	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Louis Ducreux	....	composer: additional music
Marc Perrone	....	composer: additional music
Philippe Sarde	....	music arranger

Other crew
Monique Assouline	....	press attache
Claude Bertonazzi	....	production administrator
Frédéric Bourboulon	....	studio manager (as Fred Bourboulon)
Aline Corneille	....	production secretary
Fabien Dufour	....	location manager
Louis Grau	....	general administrator
Claudine Taulère	....	script supervisor (as Claudine Taulere)

Production Companies

• Films A2
• Little Bear
• Sara Films

Distributors

• AMLF (1984) (France) (theatrical)
• Kino Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Artificial Eye (????) (UK) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• MGM/UA Classics (????) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Kino Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Vídeo Cassete do Brasil (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Le Quatuor Via Nova  music performers
• Éditions Gallimard  publisher

Also Known As:

A Sunday in the Country

Runtime:

90 min | Sweden:95 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:G | West Germany:6

Company:

Films A2

Soundtrack:

Trio pour piano et cordes Op. 120

A painterly portrait of an aging painter and his family

In pre-WWI France Monsieur Ladmiral prepares for the day in his large country house near Paris. It is Sunday, the day his son Gonzague and family frequently visit him. Gonzague arrives by train with his wife and three children - two young sons and a daughter. Monsieur Ladmiral walks to the station to meet them. Well actually he only makes it about half way there when he meets the family walking toward his house. Thus we are introduced to one of the themes - how Ladmiral deals with getting older (in this case by denying that he can't walk as fast as he used to).

On this particular Sunday Ladmiral is also treated to a rare visit by his daughter Irène. She arrives by car and her breezy, outgoing personality dominates. The children take to her, but the reactions of the rest of the family are much more complex. Gonzague has been the dutiful son who has done what was expected of him while Irène is clearly a bit of a free spirit. But equally as clear is that Ladmiral favors his daughter for her determination to live life on her own terms and is disappointed that his son has not been more aggressive.

It is amazing how much we come to understand the dynamics of this family from observing them during this one day. Typical of the hints we get is Gonzague's comment, in response to the excitement over Irène's car, that "I had children and not a car." By the end you feel that you can extrapolate backward in time to the essential history of this family.

Particularly poignant are the musing of the old man himself. He has been a painter of some repute and respect, but feels perhaps that he took too modest a path in his work, that he could have been more experimental and made more significant contributions. Is he wishing that he had been more like Irène than Gonzague, and that is why he fancies his daughter?

The pacing is slow and the filming is lush. You are left with a certain wistfulness. This may evoke memories to visits to your own grandparents.

The focus in on the personalities and the undercurrents of conflicted feelings that exist in all families.