Au Revoir Les Enfants
(1987)
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Au Revoir Les Enfants
(1987)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Gaspard Manesse | ... | |
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Raphael Fejtö | ... | |
| Francine Racette | ... | ||
| Stanislas Carré de Malberg | ... |
François Quentin
(as Stanislas Carré De Malberg)
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Philippe Morier-Genoud | ... | |
| François Berléand | ... | ||
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François Négret | ... | |
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Peter Fitz | ... |
Muller
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Pascal Rivet | ... |
Boulanger
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Benoît Henriet | ... |
Ciron
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Richard Leboeuf | ... |
Sagard
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Xavier Legrand | ... |
Babinot
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Arnaud Henriet | ... |
Negus
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Jean-Sébastien Chauvin | ... |
Laviron
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Luc Etienne | ... |
Moreau
(as Luc Étienne)
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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. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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.