Goodbye, Children (Au Revoir Les Enfants) (1987)
Average Rating: 9.2/10
Reviews Counted: 23
Fresh: 22 | Rotten: 1
Louis Malle's autobiographical tale of a childhood spent in a WWII boarding school is a beautifully realized portrait of friendship and youth.
Average Rating: 10/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 1
Louis Malle's autobiographical tale of a childhood spent in a WWII boarding school is a beautifully realized portrait of friendship and youth.
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Average Rating: 4.2/5
User Ratings: 10,728
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Movie Info
Gaspard Manesse plays Julien, an 11-year-old Catholic boarding-school resident during the Nazi occupation of France. He is witness to the courage of his instructors, who defy the German's anti-Semitic policies and quietly enroll Jewish children into the school under assumed names. Manesse befriends Jean (Raphael Fejto), one of these "instant Catholics." The refugee children are betrayed by a hostile ex-employee of the school, forcing Julien once more to be a bystander to history as Jean and the
Aug 29, 1987 Wide
Mar 28, 2006
Criterion Collection
Cast
-
Gaspard Manesse
Julien Quentin -
Raphael Fejtö
Jean Bonnet -
Francine Racette
Mme. Quentin -
Stanislas Carre de Malber...
Franqois Quentin -
Philippe Morier-Genoud
Father Jean -
François Berléand
Father Michel -
François Négret
Joseph -
Peter Fitz
Muller -
Pascal Rivet
Boulanger -
Benoit Henriet
Ciron -
Richard Leboeuf
Sagard -
Xavier Legrand
Babinot -
Arnaud Henriet
Négus/Lafarge, Négus/L... -
-
Marcel Bellot
M. Guibourg -
-
Jean-Sébastien Chauvin
Laviron -
Jean-Paul Dubarry
Father Hippolyte -
Daniel Edinger
M. Tinchaut -
Ami Flammer
M. Florent -
Irène Jacob
Mlle. Davenne -
Jacqueline Paris
Mme. Perrin -
Jacqueline Staup
Infirmary Nurse -
Luc ??tienne
Moreau
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All Critics (23) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (27) | Rotten (1) | DVD (10)
In this frightening and beautiful film, a schoolboy must learn hard lessons early.
Top CriticThe film's quiet integrity finally depends on his avoidance of heroic cliché and stylistic bombast, and on the unindulgent generosity extended towards his characters.
It's a work that has the kind of simplicity, ease and density of detail that only a film maker in total command of his craft can bring off, and then only rarely.
If he'd made his childhood movie earlier in his career -- when he didn't have the sense to be so dispassionate -- it might have packed a meatier punch. Now it's just a deftly aimed poke.
A schoolboy cannot be expected to understand how swiftly violence and evil can strike out and change everything.
In this season of boyhood remembrances, Malle's is the most devastating -- an inspired elegy to little boys lost.
Poignant subtitled WWII story about kids and loss.
One of Louis Malle's most personal and significant films.
Part dream, part nightmare, Au Revoir les Enfants vividly remembers a traumatic moment in time that cannot be forgotten.
Louis Malle, possibly at his best here. The drama is subtle but affecting.
Malle's approach is perfectly suited to the subject -- not in the least because his deliberate pacing conveys a child's sense of time.
Avoids sentimentality, clichés and bombast, as it instead touches the heart in a moving and unforgettable way.
unquestionably Malle's most personal film and arguably his most powerful
As ever, Malle's sensitivity is supreme and his delicate style evocative. [Blu-ray]
A delicately rendered and exceptionally moving reminiscence of a boyhood friendship cut short by war.
Audience Reviews for Goodbye, Children (Au Revoir Les Enfants)
Super Reviewer
Have you ever watched a film and almost immediately wanted to pop it back into the DVD player and watch it over again? Thatâ(TM)s the feeling I had when I watched AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS. In fact, I realize as Iâ(TM)m typing this that itâ(TM)s probably a film that would endure at least thirty consecutive viewings before it would grow tiring to watch. I wouldnâ(TM)t say Iâ(TM)m adamant when it comes to learning about the Holocaust, or even World War II in general, but this film especially gave me a step or two up from where I was regarding my interest in the subject. That said, AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS is just a shade off absolute perfection. The few scenes that manage to let go of your interest are what keep me from giving this five stars. Nonetheless, itâ(TM)s a film everyone should see.
Super Reviewer
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Foreign Titles
- Auf Wiedersehen, Kinder (DE)
- Goodbye Children (Au revoir les enfants) (UK)
