Au Revoir Les Enfants [VHS]

Au Revoir Les Enfants [VHS]
by Louis Malle

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Product details

Actor: Francine Racette, Gaspard Manesse, Philippe Morier-Genoud, Raphael Fejt?, Stanislas Carr? de Malberg
Director: Louis Malle
Cinematographer: Renato Berta
Producer: Louis Malle
Writer: Louis Malle
Editor: Emmanuelle Castro
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); German (Original Language)
Format: NTSC
Running Time: 104 minutes
Release Date: 1990-03-29
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Publisher: Orion Classics
Studio: Orion Classics

VHS Movie Reviews of Au Revoir Les Enfants [VHS]

Movie Review: A Loss of Innocence is Truly Tragic
Summary: 5 Stars

Au Revoir les Enfants (Goodbye, Children) is a French film of profound sadness. The story is about Julien Quentin, a young French boy who must attend school in the countryside because Paris is not safe due to WWII. The opening scene with Julien saying goodbye to his mother says a lot about Julien's character. He can be mean yet at the same time, he shows incredible love and friendship to those dearest to him. While at the school, he meets Jean Bonnet, a mysterious boy who Julien cannot help but be curious about.

The title of the film says much about the themes present. As the film progresses, 12-year-old Julien learns about the tragic things in life. Unlike most other boys his age, the events surrounding the film cause him to grow up earlier than he is comfortable with. Childhood is an incredibly fleeting thing and to many of the characters in the film, it is even more so.

The strongest part of the film was the acting by Gaspard Manesse (Julien) and Raphael Fejt? (Bonnet). Julien initially takes a dislike to Bonnet, but they begin spending more time with one another, learning that despite differences in each other, they are able to get along and form a friendship that touches both of their hearts. A tragic yet innocent mistake late in the film leads to a heart wrenching and unforgettable ending.

Au Revoir les Enfants is one of the best films I've seen. It is intelligent and deep in its message. For me, the message is that war affects children unnecessarily and cruelly. Like the title implies, children are forced to grow up too quickly because of war. I do not know about other viewers but for me, childhood was a happy yet brief time. For children affected by war and violence, it is even shorter, and this film perfectly embodies the tragic consequences that follow. I cannot recommend a film more intensely than this film. See it and judge it for yourself.

Movie Review: 4 stars out of 4
Summary: 5 Stars

The Bottom Line:

A movie that is so powerful because it is so restrained, Au Revoir Les Enfants tells the story of a tentative friendship formed between a Jewish boy hiding in a French Catholic School in the latter days of World War II; Malle tells the story without hystrionics or manipulation, making it all the more heartbreaking.

Movie Review: Hello again, Au Revoir
Summary: 5 Stars

This tragic coming-of-age tale (filmed in French) is an all-time classic that took forever to make it to DVD because of a longstanding family squabble. Unlike the seemingly ancient VHS version (only 20 years old, but film decomp makes it look like WWII newsreel footage), the digital transfer solves sound and visual problems -- especially the subtitles, which were annoying oversized in the original. As for the plot -- it's long, like the movie, but in a nutshell: Jewish boy goes to German school pretending to be non-Jew during WWII in order to save his life. He forms a friendship with a non-Jewish boy at the school, and...that's all I'll say, as giving anymore away will rob you of a great movie viewing experience. If you can find it solo, buy it. If not, there's a boxed four pack of Louis Malle films that includes this one. Pricey, but the other three items(Murmur of the Heart, Lucien Lacombe, and an filmmaker's interview disk) are bonus fare. This one's worth the $80 price by itself.

Movie Review: Wonderful film
Summary: 5 Stars

This is a sensitively told story about friendship and war. The story is told through the eyes of 12 year old Julien, and takes place in France during 1944. The cinematography creates a cold, harsh world that reflects the attitudes of many of the adults in the film. Although the film deals with war, it also shows us the simple pleasures in the everyday lives of the boys.

Movie Review: Au Revoir Les Enfants
Summary: 5 Stars

Goodbye, Children (Au revoir, les enfants) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]
A great movie. Moving film about friendship. I can see why it won a gold award in Europe. The acting is excellent, and the movie is well worth buying. If you speak French, it's even more enjoyable. Super movie, and I highly recommended it.

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Summary of Au Revoir Les Enfants [VHS]

The long shadow of Malle's autobiographical memoir of occupied France continues to fall heavily across subsequent representations of World War II, boarding school, and male adolescence--in fact, it would be difficult to identify a recent film that addresses these concerns and does not, in some substantial way, echo Au Revoir Les Enfants. The straightforward, unsentimental, gutsy Enfants finds its 12-year-old protagonist, Julien Quentin, sheltered from the conflict in a Catholic school. His classmate Jean, a new arrival, becomes first a competitor, then a beloved friend. Jean, however, hides a secret from his classmates and the Gestapo; evenly, subtly, Malle creates an atmosphere of hovering and inescapable danger. It won't take you more than a few frames to guess Jean's "secret," and many of the plot points here are too telescoped. Nevertheless, the plainspoken courage with which Malle tells his story remains wholly engrossing. The cinematography here is masterful and drunk with childlike wonder, alternating claustrophobic, wood-paneled church interiors with vivid, occasionally frightening outdoor vistas. And never is it more affecting than in the chilling scene where Justin gets lost in the woods during a seemingly innocent game of capture-the-treasure; trees and rocks flash by the running boy with an austere, impersonal beauty. Winner of seven Cesars (the French Oscars) in 1987, including Best Picture. It's in French, with subtitles; but don't let that scare you away. --Miles Bethany

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