German title: Auf Wiedersehen, Kinder Russian title: До свидания, дети Original title: Au revoir, les enfants
Alternative titles: Le nouveau | Auf Wiedersehen Kinder
Tragedy – France Production year: 1987 Movie length: 105 minutes
Director: Louis Malle Writer: Louis Malle Cinematograph: Renato Berta
Movie description:
One of the best ever films about childhood and friendship. Written and directed by veteran French director Louis Malle, Au revoir les enfants is based on a true incident that occured during the second world war.
In the film, Julien a bright boy at boarding school is suddenly confronted with another even brighter boy in Jean Bonnet. Unknown to Julien and the other boys at the school, Jean is one of a number of Jewish boys being hidden at the school. To start with the relationship between the two boys is anything but friendly as Julien tries to see off the boy he sees as his rival. Eventually Julien discovers that Jean is Jewish. Slowly, through a love of books a friendship develops particularly after Jean teaches Julien how to play boogie-woogie on the school piano. Eventually the outside world intrudes when Julien inadvertantly betrays Jean to the gestapo in the classroom. The final scene, played with great restraint sees Julien and the other Jewish boys being led off to concentration camp.
In the hands of a lesser director, Au revoir les enfants could easily have been an overwrought drama. However, Louis Malle uses the smallest of glances and signs to portray this tragic story.