Summary
At 31, Laurence, a teacher at a Lyons high school, no longer feels up
to her job. She is thinking about giving up teaching altogether
but her doctor advises her to take a week off work rather than make a
rash decision. Laurence takes advantage of her prescribed holiday
to visit her parents and catch up with some friends, including
Mancheron, the father of one of her pupils. It isn’t only
Laurence’s work that is depressing her. She is beginning to feel
trapped in her relationship with Pierre, who is insistent that they
start a family...
Review
Although not generally regarded as one of Bertrand Tavernier’s most important
works, Une semaine de vacances
is an engaging drama that provides a sobering reflection on the
difficulties faced by teachers at time when their profession was no
longer widely respected and subject to seemingly constant government
initiatives. Nathalie Baye heads an impressive cast,
turning in a poignant performance which earned her a Best Actress
nomination at the 1981 Césars. The film itself was
nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1980 (the first of
Tavernier’s three nominations for the award to date).
Although the film was made three decades ago, it continues to be
highly relevant – if anything, the malaise in the teaching profession
which is aluded to in this film has only worsened over this period.
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Useful links
- Best French films of 2011
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- The best 100 French films
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- Great French filmmakers
Related links
- The best French dramas
- Other French films of the 1980s
- The best French films of the 1980s
- Other French dramas
- Biography and films of Bertrand Tavernier
To buy this film
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Credits
- Director: Bertrand Tavernier
- Script: Marie-Françoise Hans, Bertrand Tavernier, Colo Tavernier
- Photo: Pierre-William Glenn
- Music: Eddy Mitchell, Pierre Papadiamandis
- Cast: Nathalie Baye (Laurence Cuers), Gérard Lanvin (Pierre), Flore Fitzgerald (Anne), Michel Galabru (Mancheron), Jean Dasté (Le père de Laurence), Marie-Louise Ebeli (La mère de Laurence), Philippe Delaigue (Jacques, le frère de Laurence), Geneviève Vauzeilles (Lucie), Philippe Léotard (Le docteur Sabouret), Philippe Noiret (Michel Descombes), Jean-Claude Durand (Philippe), Jean Sourbier (André), André Mortamais (Le client), Thierry Herbivo (Jean Mancheron), Nils Tavernier (Patrice), Nicole Biondi (La mère de Claudine), Silvia Jouve (La petite fille), Emmanuelle Kaizer (Claudine), Christian Mur (Le chauffeur de taxi), Henri Vart (Le client du taxi)
- Country: France
- Language: French
- Runtime: 102 min
- Aka: A Week’s Holiday; A Week’s Vacation
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To buy Une semaine de vacances:

Drama


