Despite enjoying a high-profile in France where he has been writing, directing and starring in films for 20 years, ex-Splendid member Gerard Jugnot remains virtually unknown outside his own country. As an actor only he is starring in 'Les Choristes' which opened in April and is still playing in several large salles in Paris in September. Clearly this year's 'Amelie' it has already been seen by well over one million people which SHOULD justify release abroad but distributors are queer cattle; we wait in London for 'Le Choristes' yet a piece of merde like 'Merci Dr. Rey' which played two weeks in ONE salle in Paris before being yanked has already been and gone in London leaving as much trace here as it did in Paris. Meanwhile this entry from 2002 shows Jugnot at his best in all three departments; he has written a good, solid well-made script, directed it to perfection and for good measure thrown in a leading performance as good as anything around. The setting is Paris under German Occupation.
Edmond Batignole is a middle-aged hen-pecked butcher living with a wife, daughter and the daughter's fiancé, Jean-Pierre Lamour (Jean-Paul Rouve) an open collaborator who writes vitriolic articles for a fascist journal. At the outset a small boy crawls through a grating to steal a precious ham from the shop and when the theft is discovered Lamour is quick to point the finger at Simon Bernstein (Jules Sitruck) the small son of a Jewish doctor, who lives in a lavish apartment. By coincidence the Bernsteins en masse are just about to flee so for good measure Lamour places the telephone call which results in their arrest and subsequent detainment in Vel d'Hiv (Velodrome d'Hiver, a large stadium on the outskirts of Paris which was used at the time as a holding centre for Jewish detainees prior to their shipment to Germany).
Given Lamour's connections the Batignole family are soon living in comparative luxury in the Bernstein's apartment and Batignole has a lucrative contract to supply meat to the German High Command. Then one day Batignole answers a ring on the doorbell to find young Simon Bernstein standing there. Having somehow managed to escape from Vel d'Hiv he has, not unnaturally, returned to his old home and is disconcerted to find it occupied. Against his better judgment Batignole hides the boy and brings him food then, learning from Simon that two female cousins, Sara and Guila Cohen, are being 'looked after' elsewhere in Paris, Batignole attempts to offload Simon on the same carer but to no avail.
Things come to a head when Batignole brings food to Simon only to discover the two girls have joined him. Their raised voices attract the attention of Lamour who, after breaking down the door, reveals his intention of denouncing everyone, including his prospective father-in-law. During a heated exchange Lamour winds up slightly dead and Batignole flees with the children and eventually is able to leave them at the Swiss border where, after a moment's hesitation, he joins them. This is much more than the cross between Noel Coward's 'Fumed Oak' in which a hen-pecked husband finally leaves his wife, daughter and his country and Nevil Shute's 'Pied Piper' in which a middle-aged man caught in France in June, 1940, agrees to take two children back to England and winds up with seven, that it appears on first sight. The period detail is spot on and Jugnot has managed to coax brilliant performances from the three children, primarily Jules Sitruck as Simon. There's also a nice put-down which may appeal to French culture buffs.
In addition to his articles Lamour is also an aspiring dramatist and whilst dining in a large restaurant he notices Sacha Guitry coming towards his table. He accosts the great man and reminds him that he (Lamour) sent him a play to read. Guitry speaks scathingly of the play and, stung, Lamour says 'You have insulted me', 'Yes', replies Guitry, 'but I don't do it for a living'. Until the distributors get real there is probably little chance of seeing this film other than on DVD and even then you'll have to buy it in France. In my opinion it is worth it. 8/10
Edmond Batignole is a middle-aged hen-pecked butcher living with a wife, daughter and the daughter's fiancé, Jean-Pierre Lamour (Jean-Paul Rouve) an open collaborator who writes vitriolic articles for a fascist journal. At the outset a small boy crawls through a grating to steal a precious ham from the shop and when the theft is discovered Lamour is quick to point the finger at Simon Bernstein (Jules Sitruck) the small son of a Jewish doctor, who lives in a lavish apartment. By coincidence the Bernsteins en masse are just about to flee so for good measure Lamour places the telephone call which results in their arrest and subsequent detainment in Vel d'Hiv (Velodrome d'Hiver, a large stadium on the outskirts of Paris which was used at the time as a holding centre for Jewish detainees prior to their shipment to Germany).
Given Lamour's connections the Batignole family are soon living in comparative luxury in the Bernstein's apartment and Batignole has a lucrative contract to supply meat to the German High Command. Then one day Batignole answers a ring on the doorbell to find young Simon Bernstein standing there. Having somehow managed to escape from Vel d'Hiv he has, not unnaturally, returned to his old home and is disconcerted to find it occupied. Against his better judgment Batignole hides the boy and brings him food then, learning from Simon that two female cousins, Sara and Guila Cohen, are being 'looked after' elsewhere in Paris, Batignole attempts to offload Simon on the same carer but to no avail.
Things come to a head when Batignole brings food to Simon only to discover the two girls have joined him. Their raised voices attract the attention of Lamour who, after breaking down the door, reveals his intention of denouncing everyone, including his prospective father-in-law. During a heated exchange Lamour winds up slightly dead and Batignole flees with the children and eventually is able to leave them at the Swiss border where, after a moment's hesitation, he joins them. This is much more than the cross between Noel Coward's 'Fumed Oak' in which a hen-pecked husband finally leaves his wife, daughter and his country and Nevil Shute's 'Pied Piper' in which a middle-aged man caught in France in June, 1940, agrees to take two children back to England and winds up with seven, that it appears on first sight. The period detail is spot on and Jugnot has managed to coax brilliant performances from the three children, primarily Jules Sitruck as Simon. There's also a nice put-down which may appeal to French culture buffs.
In addition to his articles Lamour is also an aspiring dramatist and whilst dining in a large restaurant he notices Sacha Guitry coming towards his table. He accosts the great man and reminds him that he (Lamour) sent him a play to read. Guitry speaks scathingly of the play and, stung, Lamour says 'You have insulted me', 'Yes', replies Guitry, 'but I don't do it for a living'. Until the distributors get real there is probably little chance of seeing this film other than on DVD and even then you'll have to buy it in France. In my opinion it is worth it. 8/10