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Modern Life

Original title: Profils paysans: La vie moderne
  • 2008
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 28m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
593
YOUR RATING
Modern Life (2008)
Documentary

Third documentary of a trilogy produced on the long term (together with Profils paysans: l'approche (2001) and Profils paysans: le quotidien (2005)), showing the simple lives of farmers in c... Read allThird documentary of a trilogy produced on the long term (together with Profils paysans: l'approche (2001) and Profils paysans: le quotidien (2005)), showing the simple lives of farmers in contemporary Southern France.Third documentary of a trilogy produced on the long term (together with Profils paysans: l'approche (2001) and Profils paysans: le quotidien (2005)), showing the simple lives of farmers in contemporary Southern France.

  • Director
    • Raymond Depardon
  • Writer
    • Raymond Depardon
  • Stars
    • Paul Argaud
    • Louis Brès
    • Marcelle Brès
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    593
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Raymond Depardon
    • Writer
      • Raymond Depardon
    • Stars
      • Paul Argaud
      • Louis Brès
      • Marcelle Brès
    • 3User reviews
    • 26Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 3 nominations

    Photos

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    Top cast

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    Paul Argaud
    • Lui-même - 63 ans, un fermier solitaire
    Louis Brès
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Marcelle Brès
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Germaine Challaye
    • Elle-même - sa femme, 70 ans
    Marcel Challaye
    • Lui-même - 80 ans, un fermier
    Jacques Chirac
    Jacques Chirac
    • Lui-même
    • (archive footage)
    Nathalie Deleuze
    • Elle-même - sa femme
    Raymond Depardon
    Raymond Depardon
    • Lui-même…
    Abel Jeanroy
    • Lui-même - 63 ans, un fermier à la retraite
    • (as Abel Jean Roy)
    Daniel Jeanroy
    • Lui-même - qui a repris la ferme sans enthousiasme
    • (as Daniel Jean Roy)
    Gilberte Jeanroy
    • Elle-même - sa femme
    • (as Gilberte Jean Roy)
    Jean-François Pantel
    • Lui-même - un jeune fermier établi dans un hameau
    Marcel Privat
    • Lui-même - 88 ans, un vieux berger
    Raymond Privat
    • Self
    Camille Quennehen
    • Elle-même - la fille adolescente de Cécile
    Alain Rouvière
    • Lui-même - leur neveu qui gère la ferme
    Cécile Rouvière
    • Elle-même - la femme qu'il vient d'épouser
    Nicolas Sarkozy
    Nicolas Sarkozy
    • Lui-même
    • (archive footage)
    • Director
      • Raymond Depardon
    • Writer
      • Raymond Depardon(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    12 Days
    7.1
    12 Days
    Profils paysans: le quotidien
    7.5
    Profils paysans: le quotidien
    The Dead Girl's Feast
    6.1
    The Dead Girl's Feast
    Terror's Advocate
    7.1
    Terror's Advocate
    Profils paysans: l'approche
    7.3
    Profils paysans: l'approche
    Évolution
    5.9
    Évolution
    Caught in the Acts
    7.7
    Caught in the Acts

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      French visa # 109528.
    • Connections
      Follows Profils paysans: l'approche (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Elegy opus 24 for cello and orchestra
      Composed by Gabriel Fauré

      (1880)

    User reviews3

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Tribute to unknown heroes
    Before becoming the famous photographer and documentary maker he has been for decades now, Raymond Depardon had been a child. Yes, I know, this is no scoop, but the fact is that young Raymond was born into a family of farmers in Haute-Loire, an isolated region of France. His art took him to various places around the world until, ten years ago, he felt the urge to become a witness to those farmers'lives, values and family stories. Mario Ruspoli had done the same thing in the same region (the Lozère) with "Les inconnus de la terre" (1961). So why not him? All the more as he was a native son... But while roaming the world, notably falling in love with the desert, he had become estranged from the countryside of his childhood. Would he be able to give voice to these unknown heroes, who had been clinging to a rather unproductive land and had managed to survive and remain free? Well, there was no reason to be afraid, judging from this third part of the "Profils paysans" triptych. For, although the local people have no particular taste for the spoken language (they favor silence - or in a pinch monosyllables!), Depardon has a knack for bringing into the light what is lurking within them. His method could not be simpler: he just gives the interviewees ... time. He is not in a hurry (nor must we be) and, when the film ends, we finally know the protagonists like the back of our hand. Another good point is the director's choice of the 35mm format, the 2.35 aspect ratio and the Dolby sound mix. From the very first minute you get the feeling that this is no cheap movie and that the people you are going to meet are worth your attention. In the same respect, there are beautiful tracking shots following the winding roads of Auvergne and two melancholy pieces by French composer Gabriel Fauré.

    In the end Depardon has reconciled with his childhood environment while the townspeople who see "La vie moderne" have with the countryside and its people they all too often disregard. A good deed indeed!
    helpful•10
    1
    • guy-bellinger
    • Jan 29, 2009

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 29, 2008 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Official sites
      • Ad Vitam (France)
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Country Profiles: Modern Life
    • Filming locations
      • Cévennes, Lozère, France
    • Production companies
      • Palmeraie et Désert
      • France 2 Cinéma
      • ARTE
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,418,958
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 28 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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