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. There, the brothers try to find their way out making fantastic ... See full summary »

Director:

Olivier Dahan

Writers:

Charles Perrault (story "Le Petit poucet"), 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. There, 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:

fairy tale | forest | child | fictional war | tragic event | 

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Genres:

Family | Fantasy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

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

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

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?

Trivia

As of 2013, this film has still not been released on a Region 1 DVD.

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Connections

Version of Tom Thumb (1912)

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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

No wonder people develop neuroses when brought up on fairy tales like this

This family is so poor that Tom's father (a very practical man) decides that his five sons should be taken into the forest and left there to be devoured by wolves. There's an ogre in the forest too that Tom fears, but Tom's father says "Be more afraid of a failed harvest, for then we have nothing to eat".

The ogre is a terrifying individual of gigantic proportions and huge teeth. His savage roar is so loud the earth seems to shudder. Although the brothers are chased by wolves, their flight from the ogre is far more terrifying. The most exciting part of the film takes us to a craggy mountain where the brothers stumble up among the sharp and slippery rocks attempting to escape from the ferocity of the ogre. As they slip and slide we fear that at any moment they will drop to their deaths from a mountain ledge.

Because Tom is small he often has to do the dirty work such as crawling through tiny apertures. Despite his small stature, Tom seems the bravest of the lot. And when he gets hold of the magical seven league boots, he literally takes flight.

The sets and lighting complement the telling of the fairy tale. There is a surreal feel about the whole presentation. Photographic images are super-imposed in rapid succession with the boys screaming and the ogre roaring. We cannot see the detail but we know full well that a terrible struggle is taking place.

I am not sure that young children should watch this film. When the ogre gives the brothers shelter for the night and orders his wife to cook them for breakfast, it is to say the least very unsettling. For grown-ups it is a stark reminder of our early days and explains perhaps why so many of us are afraid of the dark.