L'homme qui plantait des arbres (1987)

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Director:

Frédéric Back

Writers:

Jean Giono (story) and
Jean Roberts (translator: English version)

Release Date:

11 June 1988 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Short | Drama | Family

Plot:

The story of one shepherd's long and successful singlehanded effort to re-forest a desolate valley.

Plot Keywords:

Forest | France | Shepherd | Ecology | 1910s

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Philippe Noiret	...	Récitant / Narrator (voice: French version)
Christopher Plummer	...	Narrator (voice: English version)

Also Known As:

The Man Who Planted Trees (Canada: English title) (USA)

Runtime:

30 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Unrated

Company:

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Trivia:

Jean Giono, the author of the short story upon which the movie is based, wrote the story after American editors in 1953 asked him to write a few pages about an unforgettable character. They intended him to write about a real unforgettable character, but he created the fictional Elezeard Bouffier. When the editors objected that no Bouffier had died in Banon, he donated the story to all humanity. It was soon after published by Vogue in 1954. Many people have assumed that Bouffier is a real person.

One of those movies that touch lives (especially mine)!

I watched this masterpiece on the first day of my Intro to Film class, it's one of the professor's favorites, and I can't see why it shouldn't be... For half an hour I just sat there, completely mesmerized by the beautiful animation and wonderful message of this film... In this era of Finding Nemo, Valiant, and all the 3-D overdose, watching this film is a breath of fresh air... It makes you long for the simpler days of animation, and a single frame of this particular animation is more lively and real than Pixar or Dreamworks can ever hope to achieve...

But the story... Wow... Halfway into the film, I was still sitting there, mouth agape, but then tears just started rolling down my cheeks, as corny as it may sound... Christopher Plummer's soft, grandfather-like voice (and I'm sure the French version has an equally, if not more, accomplished narrator) conveys one of the most meaningful, touching stories I've ever heard... For the first time, there's a movie that I genuinely think everyone should watch, as otherwise they'd be deprived of what may be their greatest cinematic experience ever... This is one superb, inspiring film, and it deserves every single award and nomination it has received...