La tête en friche (2010)

An illiterate and lonely man bonds with an older and well-read woman.

Director:

Jean Becker

Writers:

Jean Becker (screenplay), Jean-Loup Dabadie (screenplay),

Stars:

Gérard Depardieu, Gisèle Casadesus, Maurane

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gérard Depardieu	...	Germain Chazes
Gisèle Casadesus	...	Margueritte
Maurane	...	Francine
Patrick Bouchitey	...	Landremont
Jean-François Stévenin	...	Jojo
François-Xavier Demaison	...	Gardini
Claire Maurier	...	La mère
Sophie Guillemin	...	Annette
Mélanie Bernier	...	Stéphanie
Matthieu Dahan	...	Julien
Jérôme Deschamps	...	Le maire
Gilles Détroit	...	Dévallée
Régis Laspalès	...	M. Bayle
Anne Le Guernec	...	La mère jeune
Jean-Luc Porraz	...	Le notaire

Storyline

An illiterate and lonely man bonds with an older and well-read woman.

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Plot Keywords:

title same as book | france | reference to albert camus | older man younger woman relationship | reading aloud | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French Flemish

Release Date:

16 September 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mis tardes con Margueritte

Filming Locations:

Pons, Charente-Maritime, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

ICE3, K.J.B. Production, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Le chanson de Germain"
Performed by Gérard Depardieu

User Reviews

Another movie highlight by Jean Becker

I thought that Becker's "Dialogue avec mon jardinier" was an excellent film; but watching "La tête en friche", I think this is his master work.

Depardieu is "the" actor in the current French movie scene and I can't imagine anyone other in the role of Germain Chazes. But the film lives by the art of both protagonists: Gisèle Casadesus and Gérard Depardieu. It is hard to imagine a greater contrast than the well educated lady on the one hand and the proletarian worker who had the worst start in life one can imagine, on the other hand.

It is a very old subject which was already treated in 1668 by the novel of Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen "Simplicius Simplicissimus" where a very simple person, a shepherd, by education and learning makes career as an army officer. Nothing other is demonstrated in this movie: A simple boy (shown in the flash backs) who never had a chance to become an educated person, gets the chance to learn due to the caring of an old lady and becomes all of a sudden a different person.

He notices the the problems of his surrounding and even understands his mother in the end - who always treated him mean during her lifetime.

This is a very moving film which gives hope that people and persons can be changed in their behavior by much love and understanding of their surroundings.

An excellent performance of Gisèle Casadesus (at the age of 96 years!) and Gérard Depardieu.

I voted 10 of 10 points.