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Two rival gangs of small boys wage a daily battle in a sandpit between their two villages, taking prisoners whose belts, braces and buttons are cut off. Lebrac, leader of one gang, conceives the idea of surprising the other side by going into battle naked and chalks up a victory. As the war games become more elaborate, the parents have to intervene. The movie was a huge commercial success on initial release, but it is unlikely to appeal much to those more interested in the infinitely complex and unequivocally nasty ‘The Lord of the Flies’. Awards: Prix Jean Vigo 1962. Reference: Bloomsbury Foreign Film Guide.
Credits: Producers, Yves Robert, Daniele Delorme ; director, Yves Robert ; writers, Yves Robert, Francois Boyer ; photography, Andre Bac ; music, Jose Berghams.
Cast: Andre Teton, Martin Lartigues, Michel Isella, Jacques Dufilho, Jean Richard, Michel Galabru, Paul Crauchet, Pierre Trabaud, Yvette Etievant, Robert Rollis.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
X000531
Languages
English
French
Subject category
Foreign language films
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)