A semi-literate and lonely odd-job man bonds with a much older and well-read woman.A semi-literate and lonely odd-job man bonds with a much older and well-read woman.A semi-literate and lonely odd-job man bonds with a much older and well-read woman.
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Sylvia Chiflet-Allegre
- Une cliente au marchéas Une cliente au marché
- (as Sylvia Allegre)
The prolific and beloved actor Gérard Depardieu stars as a simple semi-literate gardener coming from a harsh past when a chance friendship with a fragile sophisticated well-read old woman draws him into a much gentler environment where he remembers every word. Makes you think of Forrest Gump a la française. His girlfriend does not understand what is happening and his friends laugh at him. —berthine
Top review
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.
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.
helpful•253
- wolfgang-e-ott
- Apr 3, 2011
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