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:

france | belle epoque | clown | paris france | based on true story | 

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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:

Chocolat

Filming Locations:

Theuville, Val-d'Oise, France

Box Office

Budget:

$18,500,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$15,291,827

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

In France the film had 1.68 million admissions in four weeks.

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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!

User Reviews

Okay, I'm a Philistine. I went because it's Charlie Chaplin's grandson.

We should care about performers for what they do, not for who they are and certainly not for who their family is, but I couldn't help it. I went to see CHOCOLAT because the actor playing second lead is Charlie Chaplin's grandson. And even if I'd been expecting Charlie Chaplin's reincarnation, I wouldn't have been disappointed. As the movie introduces his character, he does a tour-de-force of solo clowning that's jaw-dropping. Later on, the movie focuses rather more on the title character as he and the second lead make a revolutionary pairing of the white clown and the Auguste in the same act. We don't quite get an explanation of what the traditional white clown and the traditional Auguste are, but we do get a vivid, picturesque depiction of 19th- century France and a pretty strong story line.