La belle histoire (1992)

Jesus is a French gypsy who might have become a bull fighter had he not been framed on a drug charge and sent to prison. Odona is a con artist pursued and protected by a Paris policeman. ... See full summary »

Director:

Claude Lelouch

Writers:

Claude Lelouch, Claude Lelouch (dialogue)

Stars:

Gérard Lanvin, Béatrice Dalle, Vincent Lindon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gérard Lanvin	...	Jésus-Christ / Jésus le gitan
Béatrice Dalle	...	Odona
Vincent Lindon	...	Simon Choulel
Marie-Sophie L.	...	Marie
Patrick Chesnais	...	Pierre Lhermitte
Jacques Gamblin
Paul Préboist	...	Le professeur tricot
Élie Chouraqui	...	Associé de Pierre
Constantin Alexandrov	...	Kraki
Denis Charvet
Amina Annabi	...	La soeur de Jésus
Jean-Michel Dupuis	...	Le professeur
Patrick Edlinger	...	Himself
Pablo Gilabert
Tara Gano	...	La mère de Jésus

Storyline

Jesus is a French gypsy who might have become a bull fighter had he not been framed on a drug charge and sent to prison. Odona is a con artist pursued and protected by a Paris policeman. Marie, who knew Jesus as a girl, loses her job when she teaches reincarnation and lets her young students kiss honey bees. All experience love, all suffer losses, and all seek peace. Throughout, Jesus's colorful gypsy family provides dance and music, mystery and celebration. As part of the reincarnation theme, the main characters appear in flashbacks set during the time of Christ and the persecution of early Christians.

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Taglines:

2000 ans de galere pour une seconde d'eternite.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

18 March 1992 (France)

Also Known As:

The Beautiful Story

Filming Locations:

Greece

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films 13, TF1 Films Production, Sofica Valor

Technical Specs

Runtime:

210 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Hasta mañana (2013)

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Soundtracks

Les abeilles d'Israël (Instrumental)
Performed by Marie-Sophie L. and Francis Lai

User Reviews

Stunning

Some people won't get this film. Their loss. Lelouch is a master of his art. He plays with narrative and plot, introducing characters seemingly at random, yet he's always in full control, and the fun is in finding out just that. The performances are uniformly even - perhaps Beatrice Dalle is a standout. Photography is gorgeous, and as you would expect from the director who made "A Man and a Woman", the music is luscious. The opening time lapse scene in Paris is worth the price alone. Lelouch is accused of recycling a limited repertoire of technique. Well, bring it on, I say. I watch this film at least twice a year. An unsung masterpiece. *** Late breaking news - May 2005. A DVD version with English subtitles has been released in Canada as part of a box set of six Lelouch films. A search will find it... Finally, the 16:9 version!