Paris 36 (2008)
"Faubourg 36" (original title)

A man is charged with murder. He is Pigoil, the aging stage manager at Chansonia, a music hall in a Paris faubourg. His confession is a long flashback to New Year's Eve, 1935, when he ... See full summary »

Director:

Christophe Barratier

Writers:

Christophe Barratier, Christophe Barratier (adaptation),

Stars:

Gérard Jugnot, Clovis Cornillac, Kad Merad

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gérard Jugnot	...	Pigoil
Clovis Cornillac	...	Milou
Kad Merad	...	Jacky
Nora Arnezeder	...	Douce
Pierre Richard	...	Monsieur TSF
Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu	...	Galapiat
Maxence Perrin	...	Jojo
François Morel	...	Célestin
Élisabeth Vitali	...	Viviane
Christophe Kourotchkine	...	Lebeaupin
Eric Naggar	...	Grevoul
Eric Prat	...	Commissaire Tortil
Julien Courbey	...	Mondain
Philippe du Janerand	...	Triquet
Marc Citti	...	L'inspecteur du Quai des Orfèvres

Storyline

A man is charged with murder. He is Pigoil, the aging stage manager at Chansonia, a music hall in a Paris faubourg. His confession is a long flashback to New Year's Eve, 1935, when he discovers his wife is unfaithful and Galapiat, the local mobster, closes the music hall. Over the next few months, Pigoil loses custody of his beloved son, Jo-Jo, and must find work. Pigoil and his pals take over the Chansonia as a co-op; Galapiat is momentarily benign. Their star is the young Douce, a girl from near Lille for whom Galapiat lusts. She in turn falls in love with Milou, a local Red. There are ups and downs, but mostly ups - but what about Jo-Jo and what about the murder?

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Plot Keywords:

music hall | murder | faubourg | love | flashback | 

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and nudity, violence and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Pathé Distribution [France]

Country:

France Germany Czech Republic

Language:

French

Release Date:

24 September 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

Paris 36

Filming Locations:

Prague Studios, Prague, Czech Republic

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$44,690 (USA) (3 April 2009)

Gross:

$850,575 (USA) (19 June 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Galatée Films, Pathé, Constantin Film Produktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 120 min

Sound Mix:

DTS 70 mm (70 mm print) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Faubourg is not French for "the district." It is a contraction of "faux bourg", French for "false town" and were used to designate smaller towns attached to larger towns or cities. A lot of these faubourgs were independent cities until they were attached to Paris and lost all independence around during the 17th and 18th century. A new outer wall was later erected around the city. These faubourgs, especially those on the East side, were usually white collar, with a very active night life.

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Goofs

When Jacky accidentally turns on the radio while Pigoil is talking to his wife and her new lover, the radio is very loud immediately after Jacky flips the switch. On this type of old tube amplified radio, it would take several seconds for the tubes to heat up and amplify any signal, and the volume would go up very slowly.

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Connections

Referenced in Faubourg 36 - Le making of (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Loin de Paname"
Music by Reinhardt Wagner
Lyrics by Frank Thomas

User Reviews

superb

A very nice cinematic experience. Everything was top notch - direction, script, acting, singing, scenography and costumes. The film leaves a warm feeling despite presenting many dark sides of life in Fauborg (outskirt of Paris) in the 1930s, like fascism, workers' strikes, unemployment, marital betrayal, loneliness. The director incredibly managed to mix pathos and sentimentality with sarcasm and sardonic humor in the same scenes, which prevented the film from being corny. Includes probably the best written funeral scene ever in my opinion. The songs are not remarkable, with one exception - a song about love where the main female character is virtually declaring love to a man from the stage. The female is a revelation, talented and beautiful young actress with good singing voice. I will gladly watch the film again.