Les Enfants du marais (1999)
Directed by Jean Becker

Comedy / Drama
aka: The Children of the Marshland

Film Review

Abstract picture representing Les Enfants du marais (1999)
Initially panned by the critics but then proving to be a popular mainstream success with cinemagoers, Les Enfants du marais is the kind of easy-going French film which appeals to both domestic and international film audiences.  Its main charm is that it colourfully depicts a way of life which accords with a non-French person's idealised view of life in rural France - a way of life which certainly exists no longer and probably never really existed in the first place.

Whilst the film is unashamedly simplistic and shows us nothing of the real hardship of living in a marshland community in the 1930s, it is a totally charming piece and makes for a pleasant cinematic experience.  A distinguished cast of familiar faces - André Dussollier, Jacques Villeret, Jacques Gamblin, Michel Serrault - certainly helps to sell the film, and the performances do not disappoint, with every character illuminating the screen as a well-rounded and believable individual.  What director Jean Becker and his amiable cast deliver is a portrayal of friendship and camerarderie that is genuine and engaging.

Admittedly, the plot is lacking in structure, and one subplot featuring the ex-footballer Eric Cantona as a boxer appears like a hasty last minute addition which seems somewhat out of place.  By way of compensation, the stunning location photography gives the film a lushness that rewards the eye and the soul.  Les Enfants du marais is the kind of film that director Jean Becker does best, low-key comedy-dramas that are more concerned with the relationships between a set of disparate characters than plot.  Other pleasing examples of this ilk are Effroyables jardins (2003) and Dialogue avec mon jardinier (2007).
© James Travers 2002
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Jean Becker film:
Un crime au paradis (2001)

Film Synopsis

Garris, a young man scarred by his experiences of the First World War, settles in a marshland community in Southern France.  Later, he thinks of leaving the area but cannot bring himself to abandon his friend Riton, who can barely cope with his nagging wife and three wild children.  The two men scrape an honest living by doing odd jobs and selling snails and frogs in the nearby town.  One day, they strike up a friendship with Pépé, a retired factory owner who used to live in the marshland when he was young.   Jo Sardi, a well-known boxer, ends up in prison after a brawl with Riton.  When Sardi leaves prison, his first thought is to find Riton and kill him...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.


Film Credits

  • Director: Jean Becker
  • Script: Sébastien Japrisot, Georges Montforez (novel)
  • Cinematographer: Jean-Marie Dreujou
  • Music: Pierre Bachelet
  • Cast: Jacques Villeret (Riton), Jacques Gamblin (Garriss), André Dussollier (Amédée), Michel Serrault (Pépé la Rainette), Isabelle Carré (Marie), Eric Cantona (Jo Sardi), Suzanne Flon (Old Cri Cri), Jacques Dufilho (Old man), Gisèle Casadesus (Madame Mercier), Roland Magdane (Felix), Elisabeth Commelin (Marthe), Julie Marboeuf (Emilie), Jenny Clève (Berthe), Philippe Magnan (Laurent), Jacques Boudet (Tane), Marlene Baffier (Young Cri Cri), Romain Dreyfus (Town Pierrot), Jacques Chaillier (Marais Pierrot), Maxime Monsimier (Jojo), Anne Le Guernec (Mireille)
  • Country: France
  • Language: French
  • Support: Color
  • Runtime: 115 min
  • Aka: The Children of the Marshland

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