Lacombe Lucien (1974)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Louis Malle

Writers:

Louis Malle (writer)
Patrick Modiano (writer)

Release Date:

29 September 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A small town in the south-west of France, summer of 1944. Having failed to join the resistance, the 18 year old Lucien Lacombe...

Plot Keywords:

Tailor | Collaborator | Secret Police | Controversial | Character Study

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Pierre Blaise	...	Lucien Lacombe
Aurore Clément	...	France Horn
Holger Löwenadler	...	Albert Horn, the tailor
Therese Giehse	...	Bella Horn
Stéphane Bouy	...	Jean-Bernard
Loumi Iacobesco	...	Betty Beaulieu
René Bouloc	...	Faure
Pierre Decazes	...	Aubert
Jean Rougerie	...	Tonin, the chief of police
Cécile Ricard	...	Marie, the hotel maid
Jacqueline Staup	...	Lucienne Chauvelot
Ave Ninchi	...	Mme Georges
Pierre Saintons	...	Hippolyte, the black collaborator
Gilberte Rivet	...	Lucien's mother
Jacques Rispal	...	M. Laborit, le propriétaire

Also Known As:

Cognome e nome: Lacombe Lucien (Italy)
Lacombe, Lucien (USA)

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

France | West Germany | Italy

Language:

French | German | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (bw)

Filming Locations:

Figeac, Lot, France

Company:

Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)

Quotes:

Lucien Lacombe: I don't like people talking down to me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

Realistic portrayal of human weakness

Louis Malle is a master of representing human behavior in a believable manner. By avoiding stereotypical characters, the director maintains a more intense level of suspense due to the unpredictability of the main protagonists. All the performances are excellent especially Pierre Blaise and Aurore Clement as Lucien and France. In my old age, I find French and Italian films present women in a much more interesting and appealing manner than American films where they tend to be little more than eye candy or character studies with minimal sensuality. Virginia Madsen's portrayal of Maya in Sideways is one of the few American performances that can compare with Aurore Clement as France or Jeanne Moreau in Le Notte. Male European directors undoubtedly have a better and more mature understanding of the female psyche. The untimely death of Pierre Blaise shorty after the completion of this film only adds to the importance of this work since he displays a unique talent which was tragically cut short. Weaknesses in the film are a limited portrayal of the resistance fighters and a truncated ending which did not segue well with the final scene.