I remember seeing this movie when I as a teenager (say, about 1970) and I was then very moved by this warm and tender drama. Nearly 30 years later, I just saw it on TV and I didn't change my mind : this is a very good movie, in the way French can say a lot of things in this kind of day-to-day film. The chemistry between young Cohen and veteran Simon is beautiful. It's also filled with references to the way people in France lived the Second world war, like Simon hating Jews and didn't know that is young friend Berry is a Jew. I love Michel Simon. He had been such a great actor from the second half of the 1920's to his death, in the middle 1970's. He was always good in his films, so natural that we don't think he's acting. Le vieil homme et l'enfant is a very intelligent movie for young director Berri, who will be famous as a director and producer in the next years.
17 Reviews
Hilarious yet incredibly moving
miss_meliss198112 May 2006
I just saw this at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and I was completely astounded! I was expecting it to be good as several people had expressed their love for it but I was not expecting to feel about it the way that I did. A story about a young boy who gets sent away by his family, for his own protection, is shown through the eyes of an imaginative, smart, little boy. I found it amazing to see a film about this time, as experienced by a child - fascinating. Although the story is very difficult, sad and almost unimaginable, Claude Berri manages to make this film powerful and yet very funny at the same time. I would recommend this movie to everyone. It is a French film however for those of you who need them, there are subtitles. So what are you waiting for... go see it!
Based, I believe, on Claude Berri's Personal Story
gelman@attglobal.net10 December 2005
This tale of a young Jewish boy sent into the French country side to avoid the possibility/likelihood of a round up of Jews by the Vichy Government parallels Claude Berri's personal experience, I believe. It says at the very beginning of the film that it is an experience seen in retrospect from the vantage point of the child. So, while it is sentimentalized as another commenter wrote on this site, that's what one might expect from a grown up looking back at the adventures of his eight or nine year old self. This is definitely NOT a straight forward narrative from an uninvolved scriptwriter/director. The "Grandfather" with whom the child is lodged hates Jews. He claims to be able to recognize them by their smell, their hooked noses, etc. The role of the Grandfather is brilliantly executed by Michel Simon. Filmed in the sixties in black and white, it still appears occasionally at Jewish film festivals under the title "The Two of Us." While you may despise the Grandfather's bigotry, he's also portrayed as loving toward the boy and lovable. The connection between the Grandfather and the boy, portrayed by Alain Cohen, is actually quite touching. A brief scene at the very end seems to indicate that the boy was reunited with his parents after the war but it passes by so quickly that I'd have to see it again in a stop frame to be sure that the faces of the parents are real and not imagined. Not a great movie, but definitely worth seeing.
Beautiful Story
mllelarisa3 March 2006
I caught this at the local art museum, what a treasure it is! I became interested because the director is Claude Berri, and his "Jean de Florette/Manon des Sources" story is one of my favourites of all time. Although this movie is in black and white, it's a superior quality and beautiful to watch. The story, of a little Jewish boy hiding out in the country with an anti-semitic old man in occupied France, could easily have gone down the path of sadness and tears, but instead it is a joyous movie full of laughter and love. I must say Michel Simon is a delightful actor, and makes even a narrow-minded, ignorant, brainwashed old man like Pépé a kind, fun grandpa that any child would love to have. I believe this movie is based on Claude Berri's actual experience, but I did have to wonder at the end if Pépé was ever told the truth about the child's heritage and if so, did it matter? Anyway, this is a fantastic heartwarming movie that you shouldn't miss if you ever get the chance to see it.
Touching and really sensitive movie with top-notch and moving performance from Michael Simon
ma-cortes26 May 2021
In the occupied France by Nazi Regime , a kid :Alan Cohen is sent away from his family : Charles Denner to countryside , where he is cared by an elderly marriage . There Michael Simon protecting , teaching and loving deeply the little boy . Although, he has an anti-Jewish and extreme right-wing ideology , but he doesn't know the child results to be an unfortunate Jew.
A really sensitive film with an enjoyable relationship between the great Michael Simon and the intimate child . It is a very attractive film with terrific performances dealing with human relations with high sensibility , family love , and brooding message against racism. Here stands out the wonderful interpretation by the extremely touching Michael Simon , he is a complete show , he's really the sense of the film along with the little boy Alain Cohen , who is excellent as well , both of whom are magnificent . It displays an agreeable musical score by maestro George Deleure, as well as atmospheric cinematography in black and white by Jean Penzer . The motion picture was very well directed by notorious writer , producer and director Claude Berri.
A really sensitive film with an enjoyable relationship between the great Michael Simon and the intimate child . It is a very attractive film with terrific performances dealing with human relations with high sensibility , family love , and brooding message against racism. Here stands out the wonderful interpretation by the extremely touching Michael Simon , he is a complete show , he's really the sense of the film along with the little boy Alain Cohen , who is excellent as well , both of whom are magnificent . It displays an agreeable musical score by maestro George Deleure, as well as atmospheric cinematography in black and white by Jean Penzer . The motion picture was very well directed by notorious writer , producer and director Claude Berri.
beautiful to touching
Kirpianuscus4 September 2022
A great film , having as pillars the young Alain Cohen and the magnificent Michel Simon as a sort of provisory grandfather
A war film, crafted so beautiful, scene by scene, exploring, in gentle manner, sensitive themes than it becomes, step by step, an exercise of seduction.
A beautiful film, for acting, story but, more significant, for the precise - powerful message.
A film about affection, family, friendship and noble pledge for acceptance of the other.
In short, useful. For remind, for resurrect old emotions, for the inspired simplicity and the story of a boy discovering, under the attention of Pepe and Meme, the life.
A beautiful film, for acting, story but, more significant, for the precise - powerful message.
A film about affection, family, friendship and noble pledge for acceptance of the other.
In short, useful. For remind, for resurrect old emotions, for the inspired simplicity and the story of a boy discovering, under the attention of Pepe and Meme, the life.
Dodges conventions before they were just that
DeanAmythe29 November 2023
Was pleasantly surprised to see this refrain from the structure you'd expect from this kind of film, the classic "person hates marginalized group(s) until he gets to know (one of) them" you see in, for example, American History X. No, this finds its conclusion in the grey, where a deeply prejudiced man might still be just that at the end, but no one would disagree he changed for the better. Instead of tension building up because of the kid concealing his true identity, bound to be unmasked, he cleverly turns the old man's antisemitic notions against him. It makes for a much more engaging plot than I find a lot of these other 60's French drama's to be, that are so infatuated with being as miserable as can be that they just completely lose me. It's not exempt from all the issues of its contemporaries, though: there's a lot of plot-meandering (that I seem to mind even more in French cinema) and I found most of this to be technically and formally uninspired. Also, it really sucks to be an animal in one of these.
Jewish refugee boy win's old antisemite's love
maurice_yacowar27 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Claude Berri's The Two of Us (1967) proves two critical axioms. (i) A period film is as much about the time it is made as the time it is set. Why else tell it now? The very best are also about the time they're seen, even decades later. They tap into a continuing, profound truth that transcends the original incident. (ii) The most effective treatment of a large theme is a small, intimate story. Then an issue gets an emotional address in human terms, not abstractions.
(i) In 1967 Claude Berri described the loving relationship that develops around 1944 between an 8-year-old Jewish boy -- sent for refuge from occupied Paris to the countryside -- and Pepe, the antisemitic old man who hosts him. Pepe becomes the boy's Gramps. As the old Petainiste spouts the clichés of French antisemitism he personifies a tradition that extends from the Dreyfuss Affair to the Nazi collaborators — and down to today, the recent slaughters in Paris and the government's detachment from Israel. As Berri taps a deep and resurgent vein in French culture his film feels as current now as it did in 1967.
(ii) This small humorous story illuminates the global tragedy of antisemitism, as large a topic as one can undertake. Little Victor is a charming miniature of The Jew. He's bright enough to trounce the old man's adult son at checkers — consistently. He's disciplined enough to hide his Jewishness (his circumcision as well as his name) from the country folk. His attempts to fit in — courting a neighbour's blonde daughter — end in his humiliation. A city schoolmate calls him a dirty Jew. The rural kids don't know he's Jewish but bully him anyway, for no reason other than they consider him an outsider. That's the basis of the Jew's perpetual persecution.
But Victor also has the Jew's indomitable spirit. In the city he gets into trouble by refusing to accept the inhibitions his frightened parents feel and try to impose. He won't be intimidated or suppressed. He impishly probes old Pepe's prejudice, urging him to spout the stereotype then charging the old man with the very qualities he declared Jewish. He calculates how to get to share the old couple's bed the way he did his parents'.
The ending is poignant. After Liberation Pepe feels "the world has passed me by." His beloved Petain is defeated and the nations he considers France's enemies have won the war. His dear old dog has died, his son has turned against his politics and his authority, and now he loses the lad he has come to love. Pepe and his wife stand in the rain as the bus taking away Victor and his parents drives off, their faces against the back window. Pepe doesn't have to reconsider his antisemitism in the light of his love for Victor. We know the boy loved him, despite that prejudice. He felt the old man's love despite his words. Pepe has an emotional connection truer than the bigoted myth he believed.
The film has a nostalgic feel, confirmed by the fact Director Berri gives young Victor his own family name: Langmann. The English title seems an improvement on the French original. "The Old Man and the Boy" suggests an outside perspective on the pair. "The Two of Us" speaks from within the two -- for either one. The English title emphasizes the connection, the French their difference. Sad to say, recent events suggest the world has not passed the old bigot by after all.
(i) In 1967 Claude Berri described the loving relationship that develops around 1944 between an 8-year-old Jewish boy -- sent for refuge from occupied Paris to the countryside -- and Pepe, the antisemitic old man who hosts him. Pepe becomes the boy's Gramps. As the old Petainiste spouts the clichés of French antisemitism he personifies a tradition that extends from the Dreyfuss Affair to the Nazi collaborators — and down to today, the recent slaughters in Paris and the government's detachment from Israel. As Berri taps a deep and resurgent vein in French culture his film feels as current now as it did in 1967.
(ii) This small humorous story illuminates the global tragedy of antisemitism, as large a topic as one can undertake. Little Victor is a charming miniature of The Jew. He's bright enough to trounce the old man's adult son at checkers — consistently. He's disciplined enough to hide his Jewishness (his circumcision as well as his name) from the country folk. His attempts to fit in — courting a neighbour's blonde daughter — end in his humiliation. A city schoolmate calls him a dirty Jew. The rural kids don't know he's Jewish but bully him anyway, for no reason other than they consider him an outsider. That's the basis of the Jew's perpetual persecution.
But Victor also has the Jew's indomitable spirit. In the city he gets into trouble by refusing to accept the inhibitions his frightened parents feel and try to impose. He won't be intimidated or suppressed. He impishly probes old Pepe's prejudice, urging him to spout the stereotype then charging the old man with the very qualities he declared Jewish. He calculates how to get to share the old couple's bed the way he did his parents'.
The ending is poignant. After Liberation Pepe feels "the world has passed me by." His beloved Petain is defeated and the nations he considers France's enemies have won the war. His dear old dog has died, his son has turned against his politics and his authority, and now he loses the lad he has come to love. Pepe and his wife stand in the rain as the bus taking away Victor and his parents drives off, their faces against the back window. Pepe doesn't have to reconsider his antisemitism in the light of his love for Victor. We know the boy loved him, despite that prejudice. He felt the old man's love despite his words. Pepe has an emotional connection truer than the bigoted myth he believed.
The film has a nostalgic feel, confirmed by the fact Director Berri gives young Victor his own family name: Langmann. The English title seems an improvement on the French original. "The Old Man and the Boy" suggests an outside perspective on the pair. "The Two of Us" speaks from within the two -- for either one. The English title emphasizes the connection, the French their difference. Sad to say, recent events suggest the world has not passed the old bigot by after all.
A young child uses logic to challenge the prejudices of an old man
life2great6 January 2008
This movie shows the power of the media in shaping the minds of simple folk, filling them with irrational prejudices. This shaping is what leads to the rise of totalitarian governments and to Islamic fascism. The best way to fight this, is to have the chance to live with and directly influence, by subtly challenging these prejudices with reason and logic. But the logician, in this case was a nine year old boy who lives in the country with an elderly couple as a way of surviving the final years of Nazi occupied France. The movie is very touching and meaningful. Filmed in black and white, which gives the movies a war time feel. The on-screen relationship between the old man and the young boy, which helps each to grow, is what good story telling is all about.
The education of an old bigot
genie_man3820 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This is a charming movie set in the backdrop of war while carefully avoiding much of the asperity of war. It focuses on the relationship of a young boy and his adopted septuagenarian "Grampa", Pepe.
Claude is a nine year old Jewish boy. He is bright and mischievous, as young boys are. His parents move from place to place in occupied France to avoid being detected. Claude is continually bringing unwanted attention to himself and his desperate parents. They decide to send him to stay with the parents of a trusted Catholic friend. Enter Pepe, Michel Simon.
Pepe is an old rogue, full of half-baked political opinions, always babbling some truculent platitude or other. He's not too bright but he's a complex character, warm and charming. We see him feeding his 15 year old pet dog from a plate with a spoon. The dog wears a bib. This is a soulful old man, despite his vitriol. Pepe immediately takes to Claude and begins to educate him about the evils of France's 'natural enemies': the Germans, the English, the Freemasons, the Bolsheviks and the Jews. But ultimately, it is Claude who educates Pepe.
The relationship develops and we see that Claude finds more enjoyment with Pepe than he does with village kids. Unlike his time with his parents, Claude behaves himself well. He helps Pepe with chores. They play games together. The two are inseparable. Rather than joining the village ruffians, Claude is their victim and runs home to the protection of Pepe. The old man supplies something that Claude did not get at home, despite Claude's affection for his parents.
Claude very cleverly runs rings around Pepe, showing the nonsense of his claims about the Jews. This is quite amusing. Claude moans that he must be a Jew, according to the description Pepe gives. Pepe comforts him, "no, of course you are not." Then Claude strikes back, accusing Pepe of being a Jew, with his big nose and curly hair. Pepe stands before the mirror, examining himself forlornly. We can see that Pepe is slowly coming to realize the folly of the clap-trap he has been espousing.
Pepe is too lovable a fellow to really hate his enemies, who are mere phantoms. He clings to his opinions out of habit rather than conviction. Pepe grumbles when the local priest delivers a sermon advocating compassion to the oppressed. But grumbling is about the extent of Pepe's bigotry. Claude teases Pepe that after the war the Jews will probably come back to power. Pepe dismisses the observation with the remark, "Oh well, they're probably no worse than the rest of them." Claude has worn the old bigot down.
Claude never reveals that he is a Jew. One of the reviewers above thought that this non-revelation meant that the film never resolved. I disagree. One of the strengths of the film is that it doesn't follow a formulaic structure. It is not full of clichés. A revelation scene would lend itself to cliché.
The movie makes its point eloquently, without such clichés: bigotry is a vapid habit of belief and love is a more powerful force than hatred. What more need be said?
Claude is a nine year old Jewish boy. He is bright and mischievous, as young boys are. His parents move from place to place in occupied France to avoid being detected. Claude is continually bringing unwanted attention to himself and his desperate parents. They decide to send him to stay with the parents of a trusted Catholic friend. Enter Pepe, Michel Simon.
Pepe is an old rogue, full of half-baked political opinions, always babbling some truculent platitude or other. He's not too bright but he's a complex character, warm and charming. We see him feeding his 15 year old pet dog from a plate with a spoon. The dog wears a bib. This is a soulful old man, despite his vitriol. Pepe immediately takes to Claude and begins to educate him about the evils of France's 'natural enemies': the Germans, the English, the Freemasons, the Bolsheviks and the Jews. But ultimately, it is Claude who educates Pepe.
The relationship develops and we see that Claude finds more enjoyment with Pepe than he does with village kids. Unlike his time with his parents, Claude behaves himself well. He helps Pepe with chores. They play games together. The two are inseparable. Rather than joining the village ruffians, Claude is their victim and runs home to the protection of Pepe. The old man supplies something that Claude did not get at home, despite Claude's affection for his parents.
Claude very cleverly runs rings around Pepe, showing the nonsense of his claims about the Jews. This is quite amusing. Claude moans that he must be a Jew, according to the description Pepe gives. Pepe comforts him, "no, of course you are not." Then Claude strikes back, accusing Pepe of being a Jew, with his big nose and curly hair. Pepe stands before the mirror, examining himself forlornly. We can see that Pepe is slowly coming to realize the folly of the clap-trap he has been espousing.
Pepe is too lovable a fellow to really hate his enemies, who are mere phantoms. He clings to his opinions out of habit rather than conviction. Pepe grumbles when the local priest delivers a sermon advocating compassion to the oppressed. But grumbling is about the extent of Pepe's bigotry. Claude teases Pepe that after the war the Jews will probably come back to power. Pepe dismisses the observation with the remark, "Oh well, they're probably no worse than the rest of them." Claude has worn the old bigot down.
Claude never reveals that he is a Jew. One of the reviewers above thought that this non-revelation meant that the film never resolved. I disagree. One of the strengths of the film is that it doesn't follow a formulaic structure. It is not full of clichés. A revelation scene would lend itself to cliché.
The movie makes its point eloquently, without such clichés: bigotry is a vapid habit of belief and love is a more powerful force than hatred. What more need be said?
No Sorrow and No Pity in this High-Spirited and Engaging WW2 French Comedy-Drama...
ElMaruecan826 February 2022
It's a story as old as cinema, a friendship leaping over sixty years of age. It's a theme infused countless times into war: childhood, the age of innocence colliding with the very time of its very negation.
Sure there's nothing remotely original in Claude Berri's "The Old Man and the Child", but it's personal and what it lacks in originality, it makes up in sincerity, warmth, humor, poignancy and the one privilege of autobiographical movies: truth. It's precisely because the whole story is uneventful, even anecdotical, that as viewers, we can measure the gravitas floating all around.
That's what separates great movies like "Schindler's List" to personal masterpieces like "The Pianist", Spielberg knows how to build up momentums but Polanski who lived in the ghetto, knew the narrative of the war was so dramatic it didn't need the artifice of a plot.
Polanski had to hide his Jewishness to be sheltered by Catholic people, at risk of being called out by some malevolent souls. There was also the famous French barber Joseph Joffo who wrote "A Bag of Marbles" (a book I've read countless times as a kid) chronicling his 'adventure' during the occupation whose culmination was his life in the house of a pro-Nazi Frenchman. And there was Marcel Gotlib, my comic-book idol, who at 8 lived in the countryside. He made a magnificent two-page story called "The Goat" (the farmer looks like a meaner version of Pepe Dupont).
And there's Claude Berri (1934-2009), whose real name was Langmann, like in the film, a name that could pass for Alsacian to those who wanted to know as little as possible. While Claude Langmann is a version of Berri as a child is almost irrelevant, he's a Jew but he's a normal boy first and foremost: his establishing act consists of stealing miniaturized tanks. The father played by Charles Denner, can't believe the boy would be so oblivious to the situation. But Claude felt like taking the toys, just like he felt like smoking or fighting; in a lesser film, the act would have a meaning, anger or defiance while it's even more significant as pure infantile detachment.
But Claude is too stubborn to realize that he's a liability to his family desperately trying to keep a low profile. A friend suggests to put Claude in her parents' house, in the countryside, he's warned about Pepe, he's a brave man but he must never knows he's a Jew. Claude is smart enough to spot the contradiction. And so Claude Langmann becomes Claude Longuet who must be able to spell his name and recite his Christian prayers and there's something almost comical in the constant (sometimes overplayed) distress of his father, downplayed by the mother -a foreigner- who's more patient and looks like the source of the kid's spoiled manners.
Anyone would then get ready to see Claude facing a tougher crowd but Pepe (Michel Simon) and Meme Dupont (Luce Fabiole) are more than pleased to welcome him. Pepe's establishing moment shows him feeding his 15-year old dog with a spoon and not raising an eyebrow when Claude's surname and its spelling don't match. He's the prototypical old curmudgeon who likes hearing himself talk, sharing his views with a little tyke who would only listen. Talking about the mathematical age of dog, proudly asserting his vegetarianism (calling meat eaters cannibals), a specialist in pranks and games but still an Antisemite.
And the question is indeed: does he believe in them? Or like these French people from "The Sorrow and the Pity", he accepted the surrendering as a necessity in the great scheme of that patriotic fantasy when the enemy turned out invisible and sneaky. But Berri doesn't care for intellectual interpretation and is more concerned with Claude's life in the farm and at school.
There are two moments though where the kid is at the brisk of showing his 'masculinity', but it's handled in the same matter-of-fact way that the other events, the couple doesn't suspect him, because why would every boy be eager to show his 'little bird'? That doesn't prevent Claude to cry alone and to interpret any sign of hostility as a proof that they 'might knew... but when the school kids bully him, it's the city boy who's targeted, not the Jew.
Alain Cohen is remarkably able to convey the most subtle and nuanced emotion, displaying wits but never precociousness. One of the film's most delightful touch if one of the boy's pastime: making Pepe talk about the Jews. He feigns a traumatizing effect to his words: he might be one, but Pepe reassures him until it backfires at him; he's got a big nose and wavy hair. One of Claude's triumph is to toy so playfully with Pepe's prejudices they become grotesque. When at the end, Pepe says about Jews "they can't be as bad as the other", it's a modest victory from the side of tolerance.
It's one of these miracles of acting that Michel Simon could play such a larger-than-life character so naturally, the man who looked 50 in his 30s can finally let his talent implode so loudly it could only dwarfs the rest of the cast except for the little one who could reach that gargantuan heart (and its rotten corners). Simon, with his gargoyle-like mug, his sad eyes and his distorted face was a treasure for French cinema and it's fitting that one of his last performance, maybe his best one, coincides with the rise of a great directing career. And when the kid kisses him, it's one of the warmest and tenderest moments ever captured on a film.
The film keeps up in a constant state of anticipation: everything goes so well, there must be a catch, they will know, he will tell them... but it's like Berri could only tell a happy story, true or not, it doesn't matter, it's just the heart of an adult being overruled by a child's vision.
Sure there's nothing remotely original in Claude Berri's "The Old Man and the Child", but it's personal and what it lacks in originality, it makes up in sincerity, warmth, humor, poignancy and the one privilege of autobiographical movies: truth. It's precisely because the whole story is uneventful, even anecdotical, that as viewers, we can measure the gravitas floating all around.
That's what separates great movies like "Schindler's List" to personal masterpieces like "The Pianist", Spielberg knows how to build up momentums but Polanski who lived in the ghetto, knew the narrative of the war was so dramatic it didn't need the artifice of a plot.
Polanski had to hide his Jewishness to be sheltered by Catholic people, at risk of being called out by some malevolent souls. There was also the famous French barber Joseph Joffo who wrote "A Bag of Marbles" (a book I've read countless times as a kid) chronicling his 'adventure' during the occupation whose culmination was his life in the house of a pro-Nazi Frenchman. And there was Marcel Gotlib, my comic-book idol, who at 8 lived in the countryside. He made a magnificent two-page story called "The Goat" (the farmer looks like a meaner version of Pepe Dupont).
And there's Claude Berri (1934-2009), whose real name was Langmann, like in the film, a name that could pass for Alsacian to those who wanted to know as little as possible. While Claude Langmann is a version of Berri as a child is almost irrelevant, he's a Jew but he's a normal boy first and foremost: his establishing act consists of stealing miniaturized tanks. The father played by Charles Denner, can't believe the boy would be so oblivious to the situation. But Claude felt like taking the toys, just like he felt like smoking or fighting; in a lesser film, the act would have a meaning, anger or defiance while it's even more significant as pure infantile detachment.
But Claude is too stubborn to realize that he's a liability to his family desperately trying to keep a low profile. A friend suggests to put Claude in her parents' house, in the countryside, he's warned about Pepe, he's a brave man but he must never knows he's a Jew. Claude is smart enough to spot the contradiction. And so Claude Langmann becomes Claude Longuet who must be able to spell his name and recite his Christian prayers and there's something almost comical in the constant (sometimes overplayed) distress of his father, downplayed by the mother -a foreigner- who's more patient and looks like the source of the kid's spoiled manners.
Anyone would then get ready to see Claude facing a tougher crowd but Pepe (Michel Simon) and Meme Dupont (Luce Fabiole) are more than pleased to welcome him. Pepe's establishing moment shows him feeding his 15-year old dog with a spoon and not raising an eyebrow when Claude's surname and its spelling don't match. He's the prototypical old curmudgeon who likes hearing himself talk, sharing his views with a little tyke who would only listen. Talking about the mathematical age of dog, proudly asserting his vegetarianism (calling meat eaters cannibals), a specialist in pranks and games but still an Antisemite.
And the question is indeed: does he believe in them? Or like these French people from "The Sorrow and the Pity", he accepted the surrendering as a necessity in the great scheme of that patriotic fantasy when the enemy turned out invisible and sneaky. But Berri doesn't care for intellectual interpretation and is more concerned with Claude's life in the farm and at school.
There are two moments though where the kid is at the brisk of showing his 'masculinity', but it's handled in the same matter-of-fact way that the other events, the couple doesn't suspect him, because why would every boy be eager to show his 'little bird'? That doesn't prevent Claude to cry alone and to interpret any sign of hostility as a proof that they 'might knew... but when the school kids bully him, it's the city boy who's targeted, not the Jew.
Alain Cohen is remarkably able to convey the most subtle and nuanced emotion, displaying wits but never precociousness. One of the film's most delightful touch if one of the boy's pastime: making Pepe talk about the Jews. He feigns a traumatizing effect to his words: he might be one, but Pepe reassures him until it backfires at him; he's got a big nose and wavy hair. One of Claude's triumph is to toy so playfully with Pepe's prejudices they become grotesque. When at the end, Pepe says about Jews "they can't be as bad as the other", it's a modest victory from the side of tolerance.
It's one of these miracles of acting that Michel Simon could play such a larger-than-life character so naturally, the man who looked 50 in his 30s can finally let his talent implode so loudly it could only dwarfs the rest of the cast except for the little one who could reach that gargantuan heart (and its rotten corners). Simon, with his gargoyle-like mug, his sad eyes and his distorted face was a treasure for French cinema and it's fitting that one of his last performance, maybe his best one, coincides with the rise of a great directing career. And when the kid kisses him, it's one of the warmest and tenderest moments ever captured on a film.
The film keeps up in a constant state of anticipation: everything goes so well, there must be a catch, they will know, he will tell them... but it's like Berri could only tell a happy story, true or not, it doesn't matter, it's just the heart of an adult being overruled by a child's vision.
Love conquers all!
ilovesaturdays29 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Wow, what a wonderful movie it is! It tells the story of a Jewish boy, Claude being sheltered by a anti-semitic old man & his wife. The 9 year old boy is too energetic & conspicuous for his desperate parents who are trying their best to get through the difficult times without inviting unnecessary attention. So, he is sent to live in the country with the parents of a family friend. The old couple, who Claude later become Pepe & Meme, are very kind & affectionate. The only trouble is that Pepe is anti-semitic & so the old couple is never told that Claude is a Jew.
In the country, away from his parents, Claude behaves like a very responsible little man. He is smart enough to see that even though Pepe hates Jews, he is a good man at heart. It also helps that this old fashioned supporter of Petain has many other prejudices & idiosyncrasies too. In a funny scene, Claude even points out that Pepe actually has all the physical attributes that the old man associates with Jews! Thus, a man who would otherwise seem like a hateful bigot, is actually a good hearted fool who loves his old dog to bits & is so good to Claude that he prefers Pepe's company over his bullying classmates. The infatuation episode with the neighboring girl is a cute touch too. In a particularly poignant scene, Pepe tells Claude how happy he is to have the little guy to talk to & how he can no longer confide in his children (a disappointment to him) or his wife (40 years of bickering, as he puts it!). Meme is a quiet & good natured grandma who now has two children to take care of; Pepe & Claude!
Michel Simon as Pepe is sensational. His scenes with Alain Cohen, who played Claude, are some of the most uplifting scenes I have ever seen. The fun & frolic depicted in these scenes provide an immersive & transcendental experience to the viewer too! As a viewer, I too got attached to the endearing old couple as if they were my own grandparents (here I must confess that as far as I am concerned, my grandparents walked on water!); leaving them was hard for me too!
In the country, away from his parents, Claude behaves like a very responsible little man. He is smart enough to see that even though Pepe hates Jews, he is a good man at heart. It also helps that this old fashioned supporter of Petain has many other prejudices & idiosyncrasies too. In a funny scene, Claude even points out that Pepe actually has all the physical attributes that the old man associates with Jews! Thus, a man who would otherwise seem like a hateful bigot, is actually a good hearted fool who loves his old dog to bits & is so good to Claude that he prefers Pepe's company over his bullying classmates. The infatuation episode with the neighboring girl is a cute touch too. In a particularly poignant scene, Pepe tells Claude how happy he is to have the little guy to talk to & how he can no longer confide in his children (a disappointment to him) or his wife (40 years of bickering, as he puts it!). Meme is a quiet & good natured grandma who now has two children to take care of; Pepe & Claude!
Michel Simon as Pepe is sensational. His scenes with Alain Cohen, who played Claude, are some of the most uplifting scenes I have ever seen. The fun & frolic depicted in these scenes provide an immersive & transcendental experience to the viewer too! As a viewer, I too got attached to the endearing old couple as if they were my own grandparents (here I must confess that as far as I am concerned, my grandparents walked on water!); leaving them was hard for me too!
Bonjour l'enfant.
ulicknormanowen5 February 2022
"Le vieil homme et l'enfant " is the first of a series of four autobiographical movies about the director's salad days : for the record , the three other works are : "le pistonné" (1969) "le cinéma de papa" (1970) which became a common noun to designate the old (but great) old French cinema and "la première fois" (1976 )(starring Alain Cohen ,the young star of "le vieil homme" )
The first movie is undoubtly the best and it's sure easy to see why :It features Michel Simon ,one of the all-time greatest French actors ; by 1967,he had under his belt masterpieces by the dozen by the masters of the history of French cinema: Renoir, Duvivier,Carné ,Gance,Guitry,Decoin et al.
Once more, he shines in his part of a grumpy old man , with received ideas , who epitomizes the Marechal Pétain 's ideology in the occupied France; he hates the English,the Jews and the commies although he has never met one of these persons in his lifetime .
But the father (a very good Charles Denner ,who would reappear in "la première fois" ;in both middle movies,the part of the daddy was played by Yves Robert ) wants his son to be in security :in the country ,in the occupation days , French people had more food than in the cities and they stand less danger of being caught up in a round-up because they are Jews.
So the little boy must pretend he was brought up a catholic , he must know his "our father" prayer by heart: It's all the more important since the old country man is a limited anti-Semite ;so is the entourage ,particularly the schoolteacher who has her pupils sing the petainist anthem "Marechal Nous Voila " dutifully every morning.;and the Marechal's portrait is to be seen here there and everywhere .
A warning tells us it's "the occupied years seen through a child's eye" ,a child who does not understand the plight man's madness put them in.
The boy/old man relationship is extraordinary -and you'll shed a tear for their companion,the good old dog-It's double initiation rites: not only the boy has to discover an unknown milieu ,but he embarrasses his protector with naive (but relevant) questions about Jesus (so his daddy was a Jew, wasn't he?)which lead the narrow-minded person to question himself .He will see the others differently when the war is over.
The first movie is undoubtly the best and it's sure easy to see why :It features Michel Simon ,one of the all-time greatest French actors ; by 1967,he had under his belt masterpieces by the dozen by the masters of the history of French cinema: Renoir, Duvivier,Carné ,Gance,Guitry,Decoin et al.
Once more, he shines in his part of a grumpy old man , with received ideas , who epitomizes the Marechal Pétain 's ideology in the occupied France; he hates the English,the Jews and the commies although he has never met one of these persons in his lifetime .
But the father (a very good Charles Denner ,who would reappear in "la première fois" ;in both middle movies,the part of the daddy was played by Yves Robert ) wants his son to be in security :in the country ,in the occupation days , French people had more food than in the cities and they stand less danger of being caught up in a round-up because they are Jews.
So the little boy must pretend he was brought up a catholic , he must know his "our father" prayer by heart: It's all the more important since the old country man is a limited anti-Semite ;so is the entourage ,particularly the schoolteacher who has her pupils sing the petainist anthem "Marechal Nous Voila " dutifully every morning.;and the Marechal's portrait is to be seen here there and everywhere .
A warning tells us it's "the occupied years seen through a child's eye" ,a child who does not understand the plight man's madness put them in.
The boy/old man relationship is extraordinary -and you'll shed a tear for their companion,the good old dog-It's double initiation rites: not only the boy has to discover an unknown milieu ,but he embarrasses his protector with naive (but relevant) questions about Jesus (so his daddy was a Jew, wasn't he?)which lead the narrow-minded person to question himself .He will see the others differently when the war is over.
For the most part, exceptional...but there are a few things that I think are missing.
planktonrules2 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
So much of this film is wonderful. The acting, dialog and writing are very good and I liked the movie very much. However, when the movie ended, it seemed to be missing a few things--and felt a tiny bit incomplete.
The film begins during WWII in German occupied France. A Jewish family has been moving about the country and keeping a low profile in order to avoid problems with the fascist government. However, the little boy (who looks about five) has a tendency to get noticed and the parents are worried that his antics will endanger them all. So, they make the heartbreaking decision to have him live with a Catholic family and have him pose as a Christian. The only problem with this plan is that the elderly couple, though very good in most ways and very willing to care for the child, have no idea the kid is a Jew--and the old man hates Jews! This was not all that rare a thing at that time, but it was interesting that the couple had no idea the kid was Jewish--yet they came to love him as their own. In particular, the very anti-Semitic old man really came to love the kid--an oddly ironic situation. It's funny, but on one hand the old man is like Archie Bunker from "All in the Family"--full of hateful prejudices and very set in his ways. Yet, strangely, it was hard to hate the guy--he was often quite sweet and a real character--played wonderfully by veteran Swiss actor Michel Simon (who was at his absolute best here). Plus they did, inadvertently, save the kid's life.
What bothered me is that there was never any revelation or resolution in the film. At one moment, the kid was living with the couple and listening to the anti-Semitic rants of the old man (and by this point, the kid also began to hate Jews). The next, the war was over and the kid is instantly shown leaving with his parents. Did the man ever learn that this kid he loved was a Jew? Did his sick views ever moderate or change? How difficult was it for the child to leave or the couple to let him go? Did the kid have any problems reconciling his love for the man yet dealing with the ugliness of his prejudices? All this is left unanswered, as the film literally looks like a chunk of it was missing at the end. Because of this, the film loses a couple points and left me feeling frustrated--I had really loved it up until then. But with no resolution, this can't be a perfect film.
By the way, this film was the first full-length film by Claude Berri. It's on a DVD from Criterion that also includes Berri's first short, the Oscar-winning "The Chicken". A very, very good package.
The film begins during WWII in German occupied France. A Jewish family has been moving about the country and keeping a low profile in order to avoid problems with the fascist government. However, the little boy (who looks about five) has a tendency to get noticed and the parents are worried that his antics will endanger them all. So, they make the heartbreaking decision to have him live with a Catholic family and have him pose as a Christian. The only problem with this plan is that the elderly couple, though very good in most ways and very willing to care for the child, have no idea the kid is a Jew--and the old man hates Jews! This was not all that rare a thing at that time, but it was interesting that the couple had no idea the kid was Jewish--yet they came to love him as their own. In particular, the very anti-Semitic old man really came to love the kid--an oddly ironic situation. It's funny, but on one hand the old man is like Archie Bunker from "All in the Family"--full of hateful prejudices and very set in his ways. Yet, strangely, it was hard to hate the guy--he was often quite sweet and a real character--played wonderfully by veteran Swiss actor Michel Simon (who was at his absolute best here). Plus they did, inadvertently, save the kid's life.
What bothered me is that there was never any revelation or resolution in the film. At one moment, the kid was living with the couple and listening to the anti-Semitic rants of the old man (and by this point, the kid also began to hate Jews). The next, the war was over and the kid is instantly shown leaving with his parents. Did the man ever learn that this kid he loved was a Jew? Did his sick views ever moderate or change? How difficult was it for the child to leave or the couple to let him go? Did the kid have any problems reconciling his love for the man yet dealing with the ugliness of his prejudices? All this is left unanswered, as the film literally looks like a chunk of it was missing at the end. Because of this, the film loses a couple points and left me feeling frustrated--I had really loved it up until then. But with no resolution, this can't be a perfect film.
By the way, this film was the first full-length film by Claude Berri. It's on a DVD from Criterion that also includes Berri's first short, the Oscar-winning "The Chicken". A very, very good package.
Keep Repeating It's The Berris
writers_reign29 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Claude Berri has been gracing French cinema as Producer, Writer, Actor and Director for several years and it's a given that at least two or three of his movies are on every discerning viewer's 'Best' list and I don't necessarily mean the obvious, i.e. Jean de Florette and its other half Manon but things like Lucie Aubrac which is also set in Occupied France as is this gem. The idea of teaming a Senior Citizen with a child is far from new and far from played out, witness Papillon less than a decade ago, but it is, by definition, tricky and the trick is in finding a suitable child. Berri struck oil with Alain Cohen and all he had to do was pair him with Michel Simon and the movie practically made itself. That, of course, is the impression an audience gets when a master filmmaker like Berri is on bullhorn. I can add little to the praise, merely second it. A great movie.
Jewish boy spends wartime with elderly couple in coutryside France
patate-231 August 1999
Cute. Tender and somewhat kitch. A showcase for 72 years old Michel Simon, an important Swiss actor of silent and early talking films. Double bill with Sound of Music. They go well together with war, kids, frightening adults and tender moments. A film for the church lady.
A fantastic story during the war
TherealChti26 December 2022
The film tells a story inspired by real events during the Second World War and the story transcribed is really touching. The relationship between the old man and the child is one of the best I've seen in movies in general. Actor Michel Simon still does a fantastic job here, and I'm surprised he's not better known than that for the quality of his acting. In the film, he perfectly interprets the role of the old man from the countryside completely bewitched by the Nazi propaganda on the radio. The film clearly shows us that a man can be good while having ideas that are not good, this forces the person watching the film to question himself, should he feel compassion for this old man who takes good care of the child, despite the fact that he is an anti-Semite and that he can reject the latter if he finds out the truth?
And frankly the film makes the task complicated for us by showing us an endearing man. The relationship between the old man and the child, central in the film, is frankly a success and it gives us an enriching experience which does not often happen in films and it proves its quality.
And frankly the film makes the task complicated for us by showing us an endearing man. The relationship between the old man and the child, central in the film, is frankly a success and it gives us an enriching experience which does not often happen in films and it proves its quality.
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