Chocolat (2016)

The rise and fall of the famous clown Chocolat, the first black circus performer who revolutionised the stagnant circus acts and conquered Paris of the Belle Époque with his exuberance and originality.

Director:

Roschdy Zem

Writers:

Cyril Gely (screenplay), Olivier Gorce (adaptation)

Stars:

Omar Sy, James Thierrée, Clotilde Hesme

4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Omar Sy	...	Rafael Padilla dit Chocolat
James Thierrée	...	George Footit dit Footit (as James Thiérrée)
Clotilde Hesme	...	Marie Hecquet
Olivier Gourmet	...	Joseph Oller
Frédéric Pierrot	...	Théodore Delvaux
Noémie Lvovsky	...	Yvonne Delvaux
Alice de Lencquesaing	...	Camille
Alex Descas	...	Victor
Olivier Rabourdin	...	Firmin Gemier
Thibault de Montalembert	...	Jules Moy
Héléna Soubeyrand	...	Régina Badet
Xavier Beauvois	...	Jacques Potin
Christophe Fluder	...	Marval, le lilliputien (as Krystoff Fluder)
Antonin Maurel	...	Le clown Ortis
Mick Holsbeke	...	Le clown Green

Storyline

The life story of Rafael Padilla, a former slave in Cuba, who unexpectedly became a star clown in the Paris of the Belle Epoque. Discovered in a small country circus in the North of France by George Footit, a British clown and acrobat, he formed a successful duo with him, 'Footit and Chocolat'. For two decades, and despite conflicts between the two artists, Footit as the authoritarian white clown and Chocolat as the Auguste Black drudge filled crowds with enthusiasm. But nothing lasts forever and the glory of Chocolat, despite his high ambitions, started to decline until his premature death in 1917.

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Plot Keywords:

clown | circus | bare chested male | archive footage | tuberculosis | 

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Taglines:

The true story of the first black artist.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Germany]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

3 February 2016 (France)

Also Known As:

Monsieur Chocolat

Filming Locations:

Theuville, Val-d'Oise, France

Box Office

Budget:

$18,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandarin Films,Gaumont,Korokoro

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

French visa # 141419.

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Quotes

Rafael Padilla dit Chocolat: We don't play dice in Africa... We play with the bones of whites!

User Reviews

Enthralling

Monsieur Chocolat takes you on a black man and his clown mentor's journey at the turn of the 20th Century.

Visually sumptuous, the film invites you to suspend your 21st-century habits and venture back into a time when everything was slower. Everything was tougher too though, depending on the cards you had been dealt in life.

If you allow yourself to enter this sometimes magical and sometimes scary world, you will be seduced by the rhythm and pace of the story as it unfolds and moved by the resilience of the human spirit.

The hard and soft edges of humanity stay with you long after you leave the cinema.