Beau travail (1999)

Director:

Claire Denis

Writers:

Claire Denis (writer)
Jean-Pol Fargeau (writer)

Release Date:

3 May 2000 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This film focuses on an ex-Foreign Legion officer as he recalls his once glorious life, leading troops in Africa.

Plot Keywords:

Jealousy | Officer | Africa | Commandant | Recruit

Awards:

5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Denis Lavant	...	Galoup
Michel Subor	...	Commander Bruno Forestier
Grégoire Colin	...	Gilles Sentain
Richard Courcet	...	Legionnaire
Nicolas Duvauchelle	...	Legionnaire
Adiatou Massudi	...	Legionnaire
Mickael Ravovski	...	Legionnaire
Dan Herzberg	...	Legionnaire
Giuseppe Molino	...	Legionnaire
Gianfranco Poddighe	...	Legionnaire
Marc Veh	...	Legionnaire
Thong Duy Nguyen	...	Legionnaire
Jean-Yves Vivet	...	Legionnaire
Bernardo Montet	...	Legionnaire
Dimitri Tsiapkinis	...	Legionnaire

Also Known As:

Good Work (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

Argentina:92 min | Australia:90 min | Italy:90 min | UK:93 min | USA:90 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | Italian | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | France:U | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Djibouti

Company:

La Sept-Arte

Quotes:

Commander Bruno Forestier: If it weren't for fornication and blood, we wouldn't be here.

Movie Connections:

Version of Billy Budd (1962)

Masterful, beautifully shot elegy for the warrior ethos

_Beau travail_ gives proof that French cinema can still produce masterpieces. This adaptation of Melville focuses on Vere rather than Billy and on a ritualistic masculine life that has lost its function and degenerated into sterile rivalry. It shows the subtle triumph of the female principle in this harsh environment without ever striking a discordant ideological note. The cinematography displaying the men against the desert is breathtaking, and the rhythm of the narrative sequences builds tension with a brilliant economy of means. Even the French is beautifully written. The best French film I've seen in years (and I've seen quite a few).