During the nazi occupation of Paris, an irrepressible eight-year old jewish boy, Claude, is sent to stay with an elderly couple in the country. Since Pepe, the old man, is a rabid anti-semite, the boy is instructed to conceal his origins. Once there, Claude and Pepe forge a close relationship - beautifully realized in the playing - in which the boy is amused by the old man’s bigoted outburst and delights in provoking him, while Pepe comes to dote on the child. Berri’s film is a reconstruction of his own childhood experience and he describes it as a ‘love affair between a Jew and an anti-Semite’. Awards: Berlin Film Festival (1967): Best Actor for Michel Simon.
Credits: Director, Claude Berri ; writers, Gerard Brach, Claude Berri ; photography, Jean Penzer ; music, Georges Delerue.
Cast: Michel Simon, Alain Cohen, Charles Denner, Luce Fabiole, Roger Carel, Paul Preboist, Zorica Lozice.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
X000049
Languages
English
French
Subject category
Foreign language films
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Black and White
Holdings
16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)