After 5-year-old Paulette’s (Brigitte Fossey) parents and pet dog die in a Nazi air attack on a column of refugees fleeing Paris, during World War II, the traumatized child meets 10-year-old Michel Dollé (Georges Poujouly) whose peasant family takes her in. She quickly becomes attached to Michel and together they try to come to terms with the realities of death, sharing a private world that the grown-ups cannot understand.
Clement elicits great, natural performances from his young cast whose plight is conveyed in masterly manner through the stylised imagery and Narcisco Yepes’s sensitive guitar accompaniment. A poignant film that was the Winner at the Venice Film Festival in 1952 and recipient of the New York Film Critics’ Award.
A film by René Clément
1952, 82 mins (12A)
Cast: Georges Poujouly, Brigitte Fossey, Amédée, Laurence Badie, Madeleine Barbulée...
In French with English subtitles
Screenings: Tuesday 13 November, 6.30 pm / Wednesday 14 November, 2.00 pm
Admission free
French Film Festival UK 2012
Now in its 20th year, the French Film Festival (8 - 30 November 2012) presents a wide spectrum of French-language cinema from major hits to cutting edge new directors and retrospectives at leading cinemas throughout the country.
Cities covered include London, Birmingham, Manchester, Warwick, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and many more.
Read more about the 2012 programme on the FFF website.