Promise at Dawn (2017)

From his childhood in Poland to his adolescence in Nice to his years as a student in Paris and his tough training as a pilot during World War II, this tragi-comedy tells the romantic story ... See full summary »

Director:

Eric Barbier

Writers:

Eric Barbier, Marie Eynard

Stars:

Pierre Niney, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Didier Bourdon

1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pierre Niney	...	Roman Kacew, dit Romain Gary
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Nina Kacew
Didier Bourdon	...	Alex Gubernatis
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Zaremba
Catherine McCormack	...	Lesley Blanch
Finnegan Oldfield	...	Capitaine Langer
Pawel Puchalski	...	Romain (8-10 ans)
Némo Schiffman	...	Romain (14-16 ans)
Zoe Boyle	...	La poétesse
Lou Chauvain	...	Mariette
Emiliano Suarez	...	Le chauffeur de taxi Mexique
Alberto Maneiro	...	Le médecin hôpital Mexico
Preciado Rodriguez	...	Le réceptionniste hôtel Puebla
Katarzyna Skarzanka	...	Aniela
Marta Klubowicz	...	Madame Podowska

Storyline

From his childhood in Poland to his adolescence in Nice to his years as a student in Paris and his tough training as a pilot during World War II, this tragi-comedy tells the romantic story of Romain Gary, one of the most famous French novelists and sole writer to have won the Goncourt Prize for French literature two times.

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Plot Keywords:

mother son relationship | anti semitism | nice france | world war two | vilnius | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

To prepare the character of Nina, actress Charlotte Gainsbourg admits to have been inspired by her paternal grandmother, also of Russian origin.

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Quotes

Roman Kacew, dit Romain Gary: I made the promise to straighten the world and lay it at his feet

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Connections

Features La Libération de Paris (1944)

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Soundtracks

Interior Horses
Composed by Max Richter

User Reviews

ode to motherhood

I confess that I had great expectations and some emotions before seeing 'La promesse de l'aube'. Romain Gary was together with Boris Vian, the favorite French writer of my adolescence, and 'La promesse de l'aube' was one of my beloved books paired with Vian's 'L'ecume des jours'. The new version of the film (its second adaptation to screen) directed by Eric Barbier fully met my expectations.

The book and the film tell about two love stories. The first of these is the love of a mother for her son, an unlimited love, a love that is remembered by the writer over the years, a love that determined the course of his life. In most of the world's literature and languages for such a mother the common expression is 'Jewish mother', only in Hebrew such a mother is called a 'Polish mother'! Both fit here. The son's answer is, of course, the book that Romain Gary wrote decades later, the book that inspired the film. I can say without hesitation that this book is unique in the literature in its description of the relationship between a mother and her son. The second love story is for France. The book's heroine passionately loves her country of adoption, the country that saved her life, sheltered her, gave her the dignity. Nina Kacew educates her son to love France, returning the love that seems to have been offered to them unconditionally. However, none of the two love stories are happy to the end. Romain Gary's life will be cut short by suicide, and it is impossible to establish which were the sources of despair and disappointment that led to this, but it can not be ruled out that the partial failure of the life plan predestined by his mother had a role. The love of the Jews sheltered by France for their country and their readiness to return their gratitude with all sacrifices, including life, was hardly put to the test of history, from the Dreyfuss case to the racial persecutions and deportations during the Second World War. The book and the film end up in an optimistic note, but readers and viewers know this is not the whole story.

'La promesse de l'aube' is a captivating and exciting movie. Many viewers, probably, like me, know the intrigue and the characters, yet the precision of the details, together with the sensitivity and the passion of the actors, create a moving story that cannot leave the spectators indifferent. Charlotte Gainsbourg is fascinating as a woman living through several ages, struggling to survive and succeed, radiating the fierce love for her son, conveying her passion for life and her love for the adoptive country. All the three actors who represent the writer at different ages are excellently chosen and play very well, with a special mention for Pierre Niney who creates again a superb role and consolidates in my eyes his position as one of the best French actors of the moment. Watching the film not only did not disappoint me at any point in comparison with the emotions related to reading 'La promesse de l'aube' many decades ago, but added new dimensions to the intellectual experience around this exceptional book.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site [Germany] Official Site [Japan]

Country:

France Belgium

Language:

French Polish Spanish English

Release Date:

6 September 2019 (USA)

Also Known As:

Promise at Dawn

Filming Locations:

Bordighera, Imperia, Liguria, Italy

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,242,157

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jerico, Pathé, Nexus Factory

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1