La faute à Fidel! (2006)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Julie Gavras

Writers:

Domitilla Calamai (novel)
Arnaud Cathrine (collaboration)
(more)

Release Date:

29 November 2006 (France)

Genre:

Drama | History

Tagline:

Whose fault is it anyway?

Plot:

A 9-year-old girl weathers big changes in her household as her parents become radical political activists in 1970-71 Paris.

Plot Keywords:

Catholic School | Nanny | Political Activist | Abortion | Historical Fiction

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Nina Kervel-Bey	...	Anna de la Mesa
Julie Depardieu	...	Marie de la Mesa
Stefano Accorsi	...	Fernando de la Mesa
Benjamin Feuillet	...	François de la Mesa
Martine Chevallier	...	Bonne Maman
Olivier Perrier	...	Bon Papa
Marie Kremer	...	Isabelle
Raphaël Personnaz	...	Mathieu, le marié
Mar Sodupe	...	Marga
Gabrielle Vallières	...	Cécile
Raphaëlle Molinier	...	Pilar
Carole Franck	...	Soeur Geneviève
Marie Llano	...	Mère Anne-Marie
Marie Payen	...	La mère poule
Marie-Noëlle Bordeaux	...	Filomena
Christiana Markou	...	Panayota
Thi Thy Tien N'Guyen	...	Maï-Lahn
Lucienne Hamon	...	Suzanne
Flore Vannier-Moreau	...	1ère 'témouine'
Coralie Amedeo	...	2ème 'témouine'
Sylvia Lasfargeas	...	Une femme du MLF
Francisco López Ballo	...	Emilio
Francisco Pizarro Saenz de Urtury	...	Pierre
Alexandre Gavras	...	Le barbu 'dinette'
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Coralie Hyvon	...	Une enfant
Noah Le Brocq	...	Un enfant

Directed by
Julie Gavras

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Domitilla Calamai		novel "Tutta colpa di Fidel"
Arnaud Cathrine		collaboration
Julie Gavras		writer

Produced by
Mathieu Bompoint	....	executive producer
Sylvie Danton	....	producer (as Sylvie Pialat)

Original Music by
Armand Amar

Cinematography by
Nathalie Durand

Film Editing by
Pauline Dairou

Casting by
Coralie Amedeo

Production Design by
Laurent Deroo

Costume Design by
Annie Thiellement

Makeup Department
Annie Marandin	....	key makeup artist/hair
Paillette	....	key makeup artist/hair

Production Management
Zacharie Cortes	....	unit manager
Audrey Martel	....	assistant production manager
Philippe Valentin	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alain Artur	....	first assistant director
Amélie Colin	....	second assistant director
Julien Flick	....	third assistant director
Antonia Olivares	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Mercedes Camacho	....	assistant art director: Spain
Christophe Offret	....	property master
Quentin Prévost	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Pascal Chauvin	....	foley artist
Franck Desmoulins	....	sound editor
Nicolas Naegelen	....	sound mixer
Nicolas Naegelen	....	sound
Stephane Rabeau	....	sound editor
Julien Sicart	....	boom operator

Visual Effects by
Stephanie Boutinaud	....	visual effects coordinator
Fred Roz	....	titles

Camera and Electrical Department
Loïc Andrieu	....	Steadicam operator
Mathieu Caudroy	....	Steadicam operator
Martin Defossez	....	key grip
Emilie de la Hosseraye	....	still photographer
Inès Léraud	....	second assistant camera
Lazare Pedron	....	first assistant camera

Editorial Department
Yorgos Lamprinos	....	assistant editor
Charlotte Mazzinghi	....	color grader
Yann Thauvin	....	negative cutter

Other crew
Marie Barré	....	location scout
André-Paul Ricci	....	press attache

Production Companies

• Gaumont (presents)
• Les Films du Worso (co-production)
• B Movies (co-production)
• France 3 Cinéma (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• CinéCinéma (participation)
• Région Ile-de-France (with the support of)
• Sofica Sogécinéma 4 (in association with)

Distributors

• Gaumont International (2006) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Gaumont (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Gaumont/Columbia TriStar Home Video (GCTHV) (2007) (France) (DVD)
• Filmes do Estação (2007) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Koch Lorber Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Zeta Films (2009) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Gativideo (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Koch Lorber Films (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Creative Regie  production equipment and services (production services)
• Kodak  film stock
• Le Commissariat du Deuxième Arrondissement de Paris  thanks
• Le Commissariat du Seizième Arrondissement de Paris  thanks

Also Known As:

Blame It on Fidel! (USA) (festival title)

Runtime:

USA:99 min | France:99 min | Argentina:99 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Portugal:M/12 | USA:Unrated | Brazil:Livre | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Mexico:A

Filming Locations:

Bordelais, France

Company:

Gaumont

Quotes:

Soeur Geneviève: Miss De la Mesa, repeat what I said.
Anna de la Mesa: "The goat was eaten by the wolf for disobeying."
Soeur Geneviève: Getting eaten by the wolf was its punishment. So the text is about the need for obedience.
Anna de la Mesa: Sister, I don't get it. My grandpa showed me the paw of a fox caught in a trap. It gnawed off its paw to get free.
Soeur Geneviève: That's quite different. The goat wasn't trapped. Mr. Seguin fed it, loved it.
Anna de la Mesa: But he kept it tied up. It's in the book.
Soeur Geneviève: Are you saying the goat wanted to die? That would be a sin. Sit down.
Anna de la Mesa: Animals aren't Catholic, Sister.
Soeur Geneviève: What do you think it says?
Anna de la Mesa: The goat has two options: to stay at Mr. Seguin's or escape to the mountains. It leaves, thinking the wolf won't eat it. It goes up to the mountains, hoping to become free.
[...]

Soundtrack:

Venceremos

Political Upheavals from a Child's Vantage

BLAME IT ON FIDEL! ('La Faute à Fidel!) is an enlightening film from France's fine director Julie Gavras, a story based on the novel 'Tutta colpa di Fidel' by Domitilla Calamai that addresses the effect of major political, philosophical, and activist effects on children. What makes this fine film unique is the child's stance on the adult politics: what may seem like exciting challenges for change of an existing corrupt system for the adults may indeed be an unwanted rearrangement of the wants and needs of children whose political acumen is less advanced than the need for order and consistency in everyday life.

The story takes place in Paris in 1970 - 1971. 9-year-old Anna de la Mesa (Nina Kervel-Bey) is a bright child who loves the divinity aspects of her Catholic school and enjoys the wealthy bourgeois elegance that surrounds her. She and her little brother François (Benjamin Feuillet) are informed that their aunt, an anti-Franco activist from Spain, will be moving in with Anna and her parents Fernando (Stefano Accorsi) and Marie (Julie Depardieu). This critical move incites a change in philosophy for Anna's parents and soon they become enchanted with the rise of Allende in Chile and embrace the Socialist mindset and the promised feminist movement changes, moving from their elegant house into a small apartment and demanding that Anna give up her divinity studies 'because the are against Communist thought'. As liaison in France for Chilean activists, Fernando holds strange and frequent meetings, disturbing further the life Anna loves. While little François is able to go along with the life changes, Anna rebels and refuses to alter her goals and needs merely for the 'fad' of her father's frequent trips to Chile while leaving behind her mother to continue writing articles for the ('bourgeois') French magazine Marie-Claire! As the political upheavals increase Anna is more pugnacious in demanding her rights and the finest moments of the story demonstrate how a child can respond to political change and still find her 'place' in the world that she chooses! The pacing of the film is fast and captures the exhilaration of the foment 'round the world in the early 1970s. The cast is excellent, especially the children who have not had prior exposure to acting. The message is a potent one that deserves our attention both as informative of a political era and as a piece of veritas cinema from a fine director and crew. In French and Spanish with English subtitles. Highly recommended. Grady Harp