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

5 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:

belle epoque | france | 1890s | 1910s | clown | 

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Taglines:

The true story of the first black artist.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

While based on a true story, the film takes many liberties with reality. As such, in real life the Delvaux Circus where much of the film takes place never existed, Chocolat didn't start his clown career with Foottit in France but with British clown Tony Grice in Spain, he didn't transition from being a "circus freak" to a clown but from being a servant, he never went to prison, Foottit isn't the one who came up with the idea to pair them, Marie Hecquet was neither a widow nor a nurse and was in a relationship with Chocolat before he ever met Foottit and there is no evidence that Foottit was homosexual, among many, many other differences (including the film's ending).

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Goofs

When leaving for Paris, Chocolat throws his bag on the carriage roof next to Footit's suitcase. In the city while walking up to Nouveau Cirque, Footit is carrying his suitcase but Chocolat's bag is strangely missing.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Featured in Starfilm (2017)

User Reviews

Interesting but not very captivating

The story about an early black clown makes for an interesting tale; the circus setting is always a welcome deviation from our rational world, and there's even some nice acting and good sets here. Somehow it still doesn't add up to an A movie for me, although I'll recommend it at least for a single viewing.

The producers and director showed some balls in keeping this from being either a feelgood movie or a politically correct pamphlet; instead they go for a rather realistic and character-driven angle. The downside to this bold decision is that the movie is not very captivating, simply because the main character is - like most men - a mixed bag at best and a cautionary example of what money can do to people. In fact, this cautionary tale of a man whose very financial success leads to his moral decline is much more in the center of the movie than the racial themes which are dealt with mainly in a five minute detour.

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont [France] Mandarin Films [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

3 February 2016 (France)

Also Known As:

Chocolat

Filming Locations:

Theuville, Val-d'Oise, France

Box Office

Budget:

EUR19,297,979 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,291,827

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandarin Films, Gaumont, M6 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1