Tout le monde n’a pas eu la chance d’avoir des parents communistes (1993) - film review

September, 1958.  With the grudging support of his wife Irène, Bernard runs a small shoe shop in Paris.  Whilst he is politically ambivalent, Irène is a fervently militant communist, who longs for the day when everyone will share her vision of a Marxist-Leninist Utopia.  Her immediate concern is to ensure President De Gaulle is defeated in a referendum to reform the French constitution, which will result in the creation of the Fifth Republic.  Irène’s political convictions are boosted when the chorus of the Red Army comes to town and she falls for the charms of its handsome young lead singer, Ivan...

Jean-Jacques Zilbermann’s first directorial offering combines an ironic look at political idealism with an endearing portrait of an ordinary family in 1950s France.  Truthful and convincing performances from Josiane Balasko and Maurice Bénichou easily make up for an evident lack of substance in the narrative, whilst the meticulous costume and set design effectively evoke the period in which the film is set.  It’s an engaging film which will have a particular appeal to anyone who appreciates the talents of the Red Army chorus, possibly the best thing the Soviet Union ever gave the world.

© James Travers 2008

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