Au Revoir les Enfants Movie Review 1987

During the Nazi occupation of France in the 1940s, the headmaster of a Catholic boarding school hides three Jewish boys among the other students by altering their names and identities. Two of the students, Julien (Manesse) and Jean (Fejto), form a friendship that ends tragically when Jean and the other boys are discovered and taken away by the Gestapo. Compelling and emotionally wrenching coming of age tale based on an incident from director Malle's childhood is considered to be his best film to date and quite possibly the best he will ever make. In French with English subtitles. Other 1987 movies with similar themes are "Hope and Glory" and "Empire of the Sun."

Distribution

Simon Wiesenthal Center, 1399 S. Roxbury, Los Angeles, CA 90035, Phone: (310)553-9036, Toll-free: 800-900-9036, Fax: (310)553-4521, Email: information@wiesenthal.net, URL: http://www.wiesenthal.com

Available on VHS
Running time 104 minutes.
Originally from French, German.

Cast and Crew

Genres

World War II, Judaism, The Holocaust, Childhood Visions, School Daze, This Is Your Life, Coming of Age, True Stories, POW/MIA, 4 Bones

Screenplay

Louis Malle

Cast

Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejto, Francine Racette, Stanislas Carre de Malberg, Philippe Morier-Genoud, Francois Berleand, Peter Fitz, Francois Negret, Irene Jacob, Pascal Rivet, Benoit Henriet, Richard Leboeuf, Xavier Legrand, Arnaud Henriet, Jean-Sebastien Chauvin, Luc Etienne

Cinematography

Renato Berta

Director

Louis Malle

Producer

Nouvelles Editions de Films, MK2, Stella, NEF, Louis Malle

Awards

British Acad. 1988: Director (Malle); Cesar 1988: Art Dir./Set Dec., Cinematog., Director (Malle), Film, Sound, Writing; L.A. Film Critics 1987: Foreign Film; Venice Film Fest. 1987: Film.