Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)
"Au revoir les enfants" (original title)

A French boarding school run by priests seems to be a haven from World War II until a new student arrives. He becomes the roommate of top student in his class. Rivals at first, the roommates form a bond and share a secret.

Director:

Louis Malle

Writer:

Louis Malle (scenario)

Stars:

Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejtö, Francine Racette

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gaspard Manesse	...	Julien Quentin
Raphael Fejtö	...	Jean Bonnet / Jean Kippelstein
Francine Racette	...	Mme Quentin
Stanislas Carré de Malberg	...	François Quentin (as Stanislas Carré De Malberg)
Philippe Morier-Genoud	...	Père Jean
François Berléand	...	Père Michel
François Négret	...	Joseph
Peter Fitz	...	Muller
Pascal Rivet	...	Boulanger
Benoît Henriet	...	Ciron
Richard Leboeuf	...	Sagard
Xavier Legrand	...	Babinot
Arnaud Henriet	...	Negus
Jean-Sébastien Chauvin	...	Laviron
Luc Etienne	...	Moreau (as Luc Étienne)

Storyline

In 1944, upper class boy Julien Quentin and his brother François travel to Catholic boarding school in the countryside after vacations. Julien is a leader and good student and when the new student Jean Bonnet arrives in the school, they have friction in their relationship. However, Julien learns to respect Jean and discovers that he is Jewish and the priests are hiding him from the Nazis. They become best friends and Julien keeps the secret. When the priest Jean discovers that the servant Joseph is stealing supplies from the school to sell in the black market, he fires the youth. Sooner the Gestapo arrives at school to investigate the students and the priests that run and work in the boarding school.

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Plot Keywords:

school | boy | boarding school | priest | class | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

France West Germany Italy

Language:

French German English

Release Date:

December 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Au Revoir Les Enfants

Filming Locations:

Institution Sainte-Croix, Provins, Seine-et-Marne, France

Box Office

Gross:

$4,542,825 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF), MK2 Productions, Stella Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on an incident from Louis Malle's own youth.

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Goofs

When in the woods and running from his 'captors,' Julien hides in the rocks. During this sequence, his hair changes between shots.

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Quotes

Julien Quentin: T'as peur?
Jean Bonnet: Tout le temps.

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Crazy Credits

Pour Cuotemoc, Justine et Chloé. (opening credits)

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Connections

Features The Immigrant (1917)

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Soundtracks

"Rondo Caprioso"
Written by Camille Saint-Saëns (as Saint-Saens)
Performed by Ami Flammer, violin

User Reviews

Why isn't this available on video/DVD?

Louie Malle's film is a deeply personal examination of the Holocaust, childhood friendship and accidental betrayal. Its young protagonists are affable without being overly sweet or cloying, and despite the semi-autobiographical nature of the story, Malle never gives over to cheap sentimentality the way Steven Spielberg might. While this is one of the films that got lost in the quagmire of Orion Classics, other titles from this period have been rescued and released on DVD through MGM. Long since out of print on VHS, it's shameful this film isn't readily available to those who might wish to examine the Holocaust from a different cinematic perspective, or to those seeking a powerful story that never falls prey to pathos.