Overview
MOVIEmeter: 
Down 18% in popularity this week. See
why on
IMDbPro.
Contact:
View
company
contact information for Liberty for Us on
IMDbPro.
Release Date:
31 December 1931 (USA)
more
Tagline:
Le chef-d'oeuvre de René Clair
Plot:
A famous left-wing satirical comedy about two ex-convicts, one of whom escaped jail and then worked his way up from salesman to factory owner...
more
|
add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.
Another 2 wins
more
User Comments:
Charming early French comedy, with a fine score
more (25 total)
| (in alphabetical order) |
| René Clair | | story and screenplay |
|
| Lenny Borger | .... | subtitler: TVS - Titra Film for Janus Films print |
| |
Crew verified as complete
Additional Details
Also Known As:
À nous la liberté! (France) (alternative spelling)
Freedom for Us (International: English title)
Liberty for Us (USA)
more
Runtime:
104 min | USA:83 min (re-release) | USA:97 min
Aspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1
more
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
First film not in English to receive an Oscar nomination
more
Quotes:
[
first lines]
[Voice over Singer]:
Liberty is the happy man's due / He enjoys love and skies of blue / But then there are some / Who no worse crimes have done / It's the sad story we tell / From a prison cell
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
more (25 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on
IMDb message board for À nous la liberté (1931)
more
Recommendations
Related Links
Rene Clair's first film was the bizarre surrealist short ENTR'ACTE, which had music (and a cameo) by composer Erik Satie. Also showing up briefly in that film were two of Satie's young protégés, Darius Milhaud and George Auric.
When Clair made the talkie A NOUS LA LIBERTE, he hired Auric to do a completely original score, which was not common at the time, and a lot of the scenes were shot to recordings of the Auric music. This was only Auric's 2nd film (after Cocteau's BLOOD OF A POET) but he already shows the mastery that would lead to well over a hundred further scores.
Clair and his Oscar-nominated designer fill the screen with wonderful art deco visuals, and there's a sympathetic cast cemented by the two central characters, Louis and Emile. There are some wonderful physical comedy bits in the film (mostly in the factory), as well as the social satire which I didn't find particularly heavy-handed (although that adjective has been used by others). The fine balance of music, visuals, and comedy makes this a winner.