Le petit poucet (2001)

Poucet is a kid from a family of numerous children. The parents, too poor to feed them, decide to abandon them in the forest. Their, the brothers try to find their way out making fantastic ... See full summary »

Director:

Olivier Dahan

Writers:

Charles Perrault (story), Olivier Dahan,

Stars:

Nils Hugon, Raphaël Fuchs-Willig, William Touil

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nils Hugon	...	Poucet
Raphaël Fuchs-Willig	...	Pierrot (as Raphaël Fuchs)
William Touil	...	Martin
Pierre-Augustin Crenn	...	Jacques
Théodule Carré-Cassaigne	...	Joseph
Hanna Berthaut	...	Rose, la fille de l'ogre
Romane Bohringer	...	La mère de Poucet
Pierre Berriau	...	Le père de Poucet
Dominique Hulin	...	L'ogre
Élodie Bouchez	...	La femme de l'ogre
Samy Naceri	...	Le soldat à la jambe de fer
Catherine Deneuve	...	La reine
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Le chef de troupe
Clément Sibony	...	Le soldat mourant
Carlo Brandt	...	Le cavalier

Storyline

Poucet is a kid from a family of numerous children. The parents, too poor to feed them, decide to abandon them in the forest. Their, the brothers try to find their way out making fantastic encounters. This film is based on the French fairy tale "Le petit poucet" by Charles Perrault.

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Plot Keywords:

forest | escape | moon | poverty | castle | 

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Genres:

Family | Fantasy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [fr] (French) (Flash only)

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

17 October 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

Hüvelyk Matyi

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 67,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,832,499 (France) (19 October 2001)

Gross:

$4,360,480 (France) (2 November 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bac Films, Canal+, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Color (Duboicolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Tom Thumb (1909)

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Soundtracks

"La Lune Brille Pour Toi"
Written by Olivier Dahan and Joe Hisaishi
"Close your Eyes" - English adaptation by Paul Breslin
Performed by Vanessa Paradis

User Reviews

A Fairy Tale Done Properly!

Did you know that before Victorian moralists got to it, the wicked sisters in 'Cinderella' had their their toes and heels cut off in order to fit into the slipper?

Fairy Tales are supposed to be intense and often truly frightening, not just placating and cute. They once performed an important psychological role in helping children through difficult transitional issues. Is it just coincidence that since we have sanitised these children's stories, there is a massive demand for ADULT horror stories?

Forgive the preamble, but it seemed necessary to explain why the 2001 French production of 'Tom Thumb' is not an aberration, but more of a return to roots. In 'Tom Thumb', the Ogre is genuinely terrifying; there is real poverty, heartbreak, death and oh yeah, a fair bit of oedipal stuff, which is also totally traditional.

Don't be scared off, though. 'Tom Thumb' isn't THAT gruesome. I think such reactions merely stem from the fact that we're accustomed to fairy tales being Disneyfied to the point of absurdity.

'Tom Thumb' is colourful, atmospheric and gripping. There are moments of real desolation, excitement, fear and enchantment. Nearly all of the scenes are shot in studio sets using backlit backdrops, creating a sense of super-reality, saturated with wild colours. In fact, ironically, the use of colour in 'Tom Thumb' is very cartoonish. The Ogre's castle appears against a blood-red sky. At other times the sky is saturated with intense mixtures of colour which nuance the emotion of the scenes. It is often, quite simply, beautiful. At other times it is richly atmospheric and brooding.

I can't think of anything bad to say about 'Tom Thumb'. The French have a real knack of turning out children's films, and films about children, which are genuinely magical to an adult audience (check out 'The City of Lost Children', for instance).

A strong 8 out of 10, and bravo!