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The Ideal Palace

Original title: L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval
  • 20182018
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Laetitia Casta and Jacques Gamblin in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
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Play trailer1:44
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  • Biography
  • Drama

Cheval is a postman who travels every day along the Drôme. He meets the woman of his life, Philomena and from their union Alice was born. He then throws himself into a crazy gamble: to build... Read allCheval is a postman who travels every day along the Drôme. He meets the woman of his life, Philomena and from their union Alice was born. He then throws himself into a crazy gamble: to build her with his own hands, an incredible palace.Cheval is a postman who travels every day along the Drôme. He meets the woman of his life, Philomena and from their union Alice was born. He then throws himself into a crazy gamble: to build her with his own hands, an incredible palace.

IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Nils Tavernier
  • Writers
    • Fanny Desmarès(original idea)
    • Nils Tavernier(scenario)
    • Laurent Bertoni(scenario)
  • Stars
    • Jacques Gamblin
    • Laetitia Casta
    • Florence Thomassin
Top credits
  • Director
    • Nils Tavernier
  • Writers
    • Fanny Desmarès(original idea)
    • Nils Tavernier(scenario)
    • Laurent Bertoni(scenario)
  • Stars
    • Jacques Gamblin
    • Laetitia Casta
    • Florence Thomassin
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Trailer 1:44
    Bande-annonce [OV]

    Photos43

    Laetitia Casta and Jacques Gamblin in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Jacques Gamblin in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Jacques Gamblin in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Jacques Gamblin and Julien Personnaz in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Louka Petit Taborelli in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Laetitia Casta and Natacha Lindinger in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Jacques Gamblin in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Jacques Gamblin and Eric Savin in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Eric Savin in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Bernard Le Coq and Natacha Lindinger in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Lilly Rose Debos in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)
    Zelie Rixhon in L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval (2018)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jacques Gamblin
    Jacques Gamblin
    • Le facteur Joseph-Ferdinand Chevalas Le facteur Joseph-Ferdinand Cheval
    Laetitia Casta
    Laetitia Casta
    • Philomène Chevalas Philomène Cheval
    Florence Thomassin
    • Félicienneas Félicienne
    Bernard Le Coq
    • Augusteas Auguste
    Natacha Lindinger
    Natacha Lindinger
    • Garanceas Garance
    Zelie Rixhon
    • Alice Chevalas Alice Cheval
    Eric Savin
    Eric Savin
    • Joseph Cadieras Joseph Cadier
    Louka Petit Taborelli
    • Cyrille Chevalas Cyrille Cheval
    Aurélien Wiik
    Aurélien Wiik
    • Benjamin Lecoeuras Benjamin Lecoeur
    Julien Personnaz
    • Louis Charvat - le photographeas Louis Charvat - le photographe
    Lilly Rose Debos
    Lilly Rose Debos
    • Alice Cheval à 12 ansas Alice Cheval à 12 ans
    Delphine Lacheteau
    • L'autre Alice Cheval à 22 ansas L'autre Alice Cheval à 22 ans
    Lise Tavernier
    • Petite danseuseas Petite danseuse
    Milo Mazé
    • Cyrille Cheval à 7 ansas Cyrille Cheval à 7 ans
    Barthélémy Baccara Fechner
    • Garçon villageas Garçon village
    Orlando Accorsi
    • Garçon villageas Garçon village
    Pablo Wilson
    • Garçon villageas Garçon village
    Franck Adrien
    Franck Adrien
    • Le docteuras Le docteur
    • Director
      • Nils Tavernier
    • Writers
      • Fanny Desmarès(original idea) (scenario)
      • Nils Tavernier(scenario)
      • Laurent Bertoni(scenario)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    At the end of the 19th century, Joseph Ferdinand Cheval (Jacques Gamblin), is a simple postman who travels every day along the Drôme, from village to village. Alone, he is upset when he meets the woman of his life, Philomena (Laetitia Casta). From their union Alice was born. For this child he loves more than anything, Cheval then throws himself into a crazy gamble: to build her with his own hands, an incredible palace. Never spared by the ordeals of life, this ordinary man will not give up and will devote 33 years to build an extraordinary work: "The Ideal Palace". —Fechner Films
    • based on real person
    • 1870s
    • 1880s
    • 1910s
    • postman
    • 54 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Biography
      • Drama
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Award: Best Actor Award to Jacques Gamblin at the Sarlat Film Festival.
    • Soundtracks
      Au Fil de l'eau
      Composed and played on the accordion by Marc Perrone.

    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Building a life's work out of nothing but stones and perseverance
    This amazing film of a true story is a unique masterpiece of its kind, like no other film, while the associations you get are mainly to the stylistic refinery of Carl Th. Dreyer, who had a knack of making quiet films with sustained inner life all through in spite of minimal action, thus producing a very high level of consistently serene style. The postman here is just an ordinary postman, he walks 32 kilometers every day to deliver his mail, when at the age of 53 he gets the idea to build a dream castle for his daughter. He has no talent but for dreaming, and yet he accomplishes in 33 years of daily toil an architectural wonder comparable with the cathedral of Antonio Gaudí, stone by stone, day by day, in incessant obstinacy against all objections by his wife and neighbours to his work, calling him a madman. Yet his life's work is there still standing today after 150 years, designed a national monument by the state. The film has tuned in perfectly to his mood and reticent character, it is a slow motion picture but of infinite poetry and beauty, and the true story is like a universal sermon that could but benefit anyone. It ends in serenity, crowning the poetical character of the film with an extra sense of timeless beauty.
    helpful•0
    0
    • clanciai
    • Feb 4, 2022

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 16, 2019 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Belgium
    • Official sites
      • Official Site [France]
      • Official Site (Japan)
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Brevbäraren som byggde ett palats
    • Filming locations
      • Hauterives, Drôme, France
    • Production companies
      • Fechner Films
      • SND Groupe M6
      • Fidélité Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $6,081,436
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

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