Le huitième jour (1996)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Jaco van Dormael

Writer:

Jaco van Dormael (writer)

Release Date:

7 March 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Georges has Down syndrome, living at a mental-institution, Harry is a busy businessman, giving lectures for young aspiring salesmen...

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | Down's Syndrome | Mental Institution | Businessman | Divorce

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Daniel Auteuil	...	Harry
Pascal Duquenne	...	Georges
Miou-Miou	...	Julie
Henri Garcin	...	Le directeur de la banque
Isabelle Sadoyan	...	Georges' Mother
Michele Maes	...	Nathalie
Fabienne Loriaux	...	Fabienne
Hélène Roussel	...	Julie's mother
Alice van Dormael	...	Alice
Juliette Van Dormael	...	Juliette
Didier De Neck	...	Fabienne's husband
Marie-Pierre Meinzel
Sabrina Leurquin	...	Serveuse du snack
Laszlo Harmati	...	Luis Mariano
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harry Cleven	...	Educateur
Jean-Henri Compère	...	Educator
Jo De Backer	...	Mannequin
Josse De Pauw	...	Policier
Saleem Ebrahim	...	L'Indien
Olivier Gourmet	...	Homme au restaurant
Christopher Granier-Deferre	...	English Teacher (voice)
Stéphane Keyser
Séréna Ruspoli
André Simon
Laurette Vankeerbergen	...	Nettoyeuse
Alexandre von Sivers	...	'Doc' Harry
Pauline Zerla

Also Known As:

The Eighth Day

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

Belgium | France | UK

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:L | Hong Kong:IIA | South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Brussels, Belgium

Company:

Canal+

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pumpkin (2002)

Soundtrack:

L'Amour est un bouquet de violettes

I laughed through my tears!

Everyone we meet influences our thinking, modifies our ways, a little bit of that person rubs off onto us. "The Eighth Day" takes up this theme (Compare "Rainmaker"). In this film Harry (Daniel Auteuil) a businessman expert in sales psychology meets up with Georges (Pascal Duquenne), a Down's Syndrome child on the run. Winning performances from both these actors give this film its main strength. The opening sequence is excellent where Georges relates his theory on the creation of the world and in the closing scene we discover what God created on the eighth day. There are some moments in the story that are very frustrating for Harry. For example, Georges who is completely uninhibited demands a pair of expensive shoes and hasn't enough money. It's the kind of scene where you laugh through your tears. I liked the scene where the Down's Syndrome group on a trip to the Art Gallery escape on a bus and gate-crash the Paradis fun park. The most humorous of all the embarrassments is the scene where Harry and Georges pass a horse-float on the highway and, looking back, Georges gives the driver a rude salute. But there are some gentle scenes as well, especially the impressive use of close-ups of hands - hands feeling the sun,wind and rain, hands reaching up, hands reaching out and clasping in love and friendship. This is true cinema which touches the heart. There are very moving scenes where Georges proposes to Nathalie, where Georges cradles Harry's head in his arms, where Georges keeps calling for his dear Mom, where Georges teaches Harry to laugh..I felt there was a profound message in the film that life is beautiful- the very presence of grass (Did you know it cries when you cut it?), the trees overhead, the song of birds, the little insects - all nature's miraculous creatures. They are all there to be enjoyed if we but lie back (like Harry and Georges) look around us and listen......A beautiful film.