Summary
A mining town in northern France, 1935. Aline, a young waitress in a café,
falls in love with one of her customers, Pierre, and persuades her reluctant parents to
let him marry her. It is the beginning of a life-long romance which, despite some
ups and downs, endures right up until Pierre’s death thirty years later. Just
before the war in 1939, Aline and Pierre lose their first child, Rémi, in a tragic
accident. After the war, they rebuild their lives and have two further sons, François
and Rémi, the latter named in memory of the lost first born. Neither privileged
nor well-educated, Pierre manages to provide his family with financial security by working
hard and sacrificing all he has to those he loves.
Review
In this simple yet poignant portrait of a modest French family, René Feret recounts
the lives of his parents with evident tenderness and affection. Although the film
veers towards flagrant sentimentality in a few too many places, it is the kind of character-based
drama which easily engages its audience and leaves a lasting impression. The
film shows that a life does not have to be hugely eventful to have been worthwhile and
that the story of a humble working class man and his family can be just as instructive
as that of a major historical figure.
© James Travers 2002
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© James Travers 2002
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Useful links
- Best French films of 2011
- Best French films of the 2000s
- Best of the French New Wave
- Best of French film comedy
- The best 100 French films
- The most successful French films
- Great French filmmakers
Related links
- Other French films of the 1980s
- The best French films of the 1980s
- Other French comedy-dramas
- The best French comedy-dramas
- Biography and films of René Féret
To buy this film
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Credits
- Director: René Féret
- Script: René Féret
- Photo: Pierre Lhomme
- Music: Evelyne Stroh
- Cast: Jean-Yves Berteloot (Pierre Gravey), Valérie Stroh (Aline Dauchy-Gravey), Jacques Bonnaffé (André Gravey), Pierre-Alain Chapuis (Maurice, l’instituteur), Edith Scob (Rosalie Dauchy), René Ozo (François Dauchy), Elsa Zylberstein (Gabrielle), Clarisse Weber (Marie), Jean-Pierre Bonnot (François à 18 ans), Quentin Ogier (Rémi à 15 ans)
- Country: France / Belgium
- Language: French
- Runtime: 127 min
- Aka: Baptism
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Comedy / Drama






