The Little Thief (1988) La petite voleuse (original title)

Director:

Claude Miller

Writers:

François Truffaut (original scenario) &
Claude de Givray (original scenario) ...
(more)

Release Date:

September 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime | Romance

Tagline:

A Deliciously Sexy Tale Of Love And Larceny.

Plot:

In a small town in post-World-War-II France, an unhappy sixteen-year-old (Janine Castang) tries to escape...

Plot Keywords:

Lover | Thief | Friend | Small Town | Escape

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Janine Castang
Didier Bezace	...	Michel Davenne
Simon de La Brosse	...	Raoul
Clotilde de Bayser	...	Séverine Longuet
Raoul Billerey	...	Rouleau
Chantal Banlier	...	Léa
Nathalie Cardone	...	Mauricette
Renée Faure	...	La Mère Busato
Catherine Arditi	...	La directrice école
Gilbert Bahon	...	Le brigadier
Clothilde Baudon	...	Bonnin
Joëlle Bruyas	...	Soeur Marie-Odile
Denise Chiabaut	...	Le doctresse
Philippe Deplanche	...	Jacques Longuet
Erick Deshors	...	Raymond
Florent Gibassier	...	Le menuisier
Marion Grimault	...	Kebadian
Claude Guymont	...	Le jeune curé
Jacques Herlin	...	Le sacristain
Rémy Kirch	...	Pascouette
Annie Legrand	...	La réceptionniste hôtel
Pierre Maguelon	...	Monsieur Fauvel
Jacky Nercessian	...	Le directeur Folies de Paris
Chantal Neuwirth	...	La fermière
Marie-Thérèse Orain	...	La directrice Pigier
Shérif Scouri	...	Cohen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dominique Besnehard	...	(uncredited)
Aurélie Guichard	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Claude Miller

Writing credits
François Truffaut		(original scenario) &
Claude de Givray		(original scenario) (as Claude De Givray)
Claude Miller		(adaptation and dialogue) &
Luc Béraud		(adaptation and dialogue) &
Annie Miller		(adaptation and dialogue)

Produced by
Claude Berri	....	producer
Jean-Louis Livi	....	producer
Jean-José Richer	....	executive producer
Alain Vannier	....	producer

Original Music by
Alain Jomy

Cinematography by
Dominique Chapuis

Film Editing by
Albert Jurgenson

Production Design by
Jean-Pierre Kohut-Svelko

Costume Design by
Catherine Bouchard
Jacqueline Bouchard

Makeup Department
Joël Lavau	....	makeup artist
Susan Robertson	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Daniel Chevalier	....	production manager
Yves Hersen	....	assistant manager: Provence
Jean-Michel Hullsert	....	unit manager
Juny Monoz	....	assistant manager: Paris

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nathan Miller	....	second assistant director
Valérie Othnin-Girard	....	assistant director
Shérif Scouri	....	trainee assistant director
Nathalie Serrault	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
Philippe Auclaire	....	construction manager
Gabriel Jamet	....	props
Alain Mac Keldey	....	property master
Vincent Mateu-Ferreur	....	set designer
Jimmy Vansteenkiste	....	set designer
Luc Vellatta	....	property master
Alain Veyssier	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Martine Fleury	....	assistant sound editor
Paul Lainé	....	sound
Gérard Lamps	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jean-Pierre Lelong	....	foley artist
Gérard Manneveau	....	sound assistant
Mario Melchiorri	....	foley artist: assistant
Nadine Muse	....	sound editor
Michel Villain	....	sound assistant

Special Effects by
Jean-François Cousson	....	special effects
Guy Trielli	....	special effects

Stunts
Nella Barbier	....	stunts
Fabrice Pinot	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Valérie Blier	....	still photographer
Franck Bonomi	....	grip
Patrick Christin	....	key grip
Pierre Coquet	....	chief electrician
Serge Croisy	....	gaffer
Serge-Antoine Croisy	....	electrician
Philippe Deneau	....	electrician
Vincent Gouriat	....	grip
Thierry Jault	....	camera operator
Jean-Luc Rigaut	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Guillaume Schiffman	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Jean-Pierre Voisin	....	electrician
Eric Wiser	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Gérard Noyer	....	extras casting
Valérie Reux	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Jean-Pierre Besnard	....	assistant editor
Camille Bordes-Resnais	....	trainee editor
Olivier Fontenay	....	color timer

Music Department
Orchestre Symphonique de Radio-Télé Luxembourg	....	orchestra (as Orchestre Symphonique RTL)
César Geoffray	....	additional music: "Chantons dans le Vent"
Bernard Gérard	....	conductor
Raphaël Passaquet	....	additional music: "Dans la Troupe" (as R. Passaquet)

Other crew
Catherine Martin	....	canteen
Annie Miller	....	script supervisor
Isabelle Sauvanon	....	assistant publicist
Joseph Schillinger	....	canteen
Dominique Segall	....	publicist

Production Companies

• Orly Films (presents)
• Orly Films (co-production)
• Renn Productions (co-production)
• Ciné Cinq (co-production)
• Les Films du Carrosse (co-production)
• Societé d'Exploitation et de Distribution de Films (SEDIF) (co-production) (as Sedif)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (particiapation)

Distributors

• AMLF (1988) (France) (theatrical)
• Proserpine (1990) (France) (VHS)
• Herald Ace (1990) (Japan) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Miramax Films (1989) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Abril Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Albatros Film (2011) (Japan) (DVD) (HD re-master)
• Culture Publishers (CP) (1990) (Japan) (DVD) (PAL master)
• HBO Video (1990) (USA) (video)

Other Companies

• Editions Le Lièvre de Mars  music edition
• Tri-Track Sync  post-synchronisation (as Tri Track Sync.)
• Sygma  still photography (as Agence Sygma)
• Bijoux Charles Garnier, Les  thanks (as Bijoux Charles Garnier)
• Les Films Michel François  titles and opticals
• Paris-Studios-Billancourt  post-production
• Societé Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF)  support
• Éclair  laboratory

Also Known As:

"La petite voleuse" - France (original title)

Runtime:

France:109 min | USA:105 min (cut version)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-14 | Sweden:11 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Barneville-Carteret, Manche, France

Company:

Orly Films

Trivia:

François Truffaut's scenario offered the leading character Janine Castang as a female counterpart to the character Antoine Doinel in The 400 Blows (1959).

Movie Connections:

Version of The 400 Blows (1959)

The Jane of Hearts

She steals from the church to go to the movies. Janine, you've got to like her. But her own life is unlike the song-and-dance pictures she likes so much. It's more like a ballad, set to music in a minor key. As Bob Dylan famously put it: "She'd come away from a broken home, had lots of strange affairs, with men in every walk of life which took her everywhere." While Janine may have the genes of a flirt and a crook, it's the men she meets that take her from petty theft to grand larceny. She finds out the hard way there are limits even for a pretty girl and ends up in a nunnery that is half poorhouse, half prison. By showing us what she does, rather than narrating what happens to her, Claude Miller brings to life a story (written by none other than François Truffaut himself) that may easily have turned out corny at a lesser man's hands. The 1950s rural and Parisian sets are designed with just the right mixture of dedication and détente to make you forget it's only make-belief. The whole thing feels entirely natural and deeply touching at the same time. The biggest credit, of course, is due to the amazing Charlotte Gainsbourg and her arresting performance in the part of Janine. She resists the temptation of playing her as a teenage martyr and makes her a cheeky Cinderella instead.