Au revoir les enfants (1987)

Director:

Louis Malle

Writer:

Louis Malle (scenario)

Release Date:

December 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

A French boarding school run by priests seems to be a haven from World War II until a new student arrives...

Plot Keywords:

School | Boarding School | Class | Secret | Jewish

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 25 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Gaspard Manesse	...	Julien Quentin
Raphael Fejtö	...	Jean Bonnet / Jean Kippelstein
Francine Racette	...	Mme Quentin
Stanislas Carré de Malberg	...	François Quentin (as Stanislas Carré De Malberg)
Philippe Morier-Genoud	...	Père Jean
François Berléand	...	Père Michel
François Négret	...	Joseph
Peter Fitz	...	Muller
Pascal Rivet	...	Boulanger
Benoît Henriet	...	Ciron
Richard Leboeuf	...	Sagard
Xavier Legrand	...	Babinot
Arnaud Henriet	...	Negus
Jean-Sébastien Chauvin	...	Laviron
Luc Etienne	...	Moreau (as Luc Étienne)

Also Known As:

Auf Wiedersehen, Kinder (West Germany)
Goodbye, Children (International: English title)
Kinder (USA)
Le nouveau (France) (working title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

France | West Germany

Language:

French | German | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | Iceland:L | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:6 (bw)

Filming Locations:

Institution Sainte-Croix, Provins, Seine-et-Marne, France

Company:

Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)

Trivia:

Based on an incident from Louis Malle's own youth.

Goofs:

Continuity: When in the woods and running from his 'captors,' Julien hides in the rocks. During this sequence, his hair changes between shots.

Quotes:

Julien Quentin: Arithmatic is useless, unless you want to be an accountant.
Jean Bonnet: My father was an accountant.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dead Poets Society (1989)

Soundtrack:

Moment musical no 2

Why isn't this available on video/DVD?

Louie Malle's film is a deeply personal examination of the Holocaust, childhood friendship and accidental betrayal. Its young protagonists are affable without being overly sweet or cloying, and despite the semi-autobiographical nature of the story, Malle never gives over to cheap sentimentality the way Steven Spielberg might. While this is one of the films that got lost in the quagmire of Orion Classics, other titles from this period have been rescued and released on DVD through MGM. Long since out of print on VHS, it's shameful this film isn't readily available to those who might wish to examine the Holocaust from a different cinematic perspective, or to those seeking a powerful story that never falls prey to pathos.