Le grand Meaulnes (2006)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Jean-Daniel Verhaeghe

Writers:

Alain-Fournier (novel)
Jean Cosmos (writer)

Release Date:

4 October 2006 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Nicolas Duvauchelle	...	Augustin Meaulnes
Jean-Baptiste Maunier	...	François Seurel
Clémence Poésy	...	Yvonne De Galais
Jean-Pierre Marielle	...	M. de Galais
Philippe Torreton	...	M. Seurel
Émilie Dequenne	...	Valentine
Malik Zidi	...	Franz
Valérie Stroh	...	Millie
Florence Thomassin	...	Mme Meaulnes
Pascal Elso	...	Florentin
Roger Dumas	...	L'horloger
Pierre Vernier	...	Le recteur
Charles Hurez	...	Delouche
Clément Naslin	...	Dutremblay
Samuel Brafman-Moutier	...	Roy (as Samuel Brafman)

Runtime:

France:97 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Taiwan:R-12

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Mosca Films

Movie Connections:

Version of Le grand Meaulnes (1967)

Not so grand...

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The second version of Alain-Fournier's celebrated novel and I must confess that ,if the first part was quite interesting,the second one made me yawn my head off.

The main problem of this conventional adaptation is the two leading actors:both Augustin and Yvonne lack charisma -which is a pity ,cause Augustin is supposed to be admired by François his school mate!- and it's the supporting cast who walks away with the honors:the always reliable Philippe Torreton ,De La Comédie Française ,ideally cast as the schoolteacher (you may remember he was the schoolteacher in Tavernier's memorable "Ca Commence Aujourd'hui") ,and Jean-Pierre Marielle who proves in the part of Yvonne's father that he can age gracefully.As for the young Maunier,if he is credible as a pupil,he's obviously much too young for a part of a teacher ,even if he is wearing a mustache.

The first part is very interesting for its depiction of the old grade schools where children used to stay till they were sixteen or more to get the "Brevet Superieur" a diploma which does not exist anymore:the blackboard ,the "purple ink" and the lecturing which were the trademarks of those schools of (not so) long ago.The landscapes are wonderfully filmed and la "Fete Etrange " (strange celebration)is also a good moment.

Things begin to deteriorate when Meaulnes leaves the village:the screenplay becomes desultory and features an ending which betrays the novel:as it was released in 1913,Meaulnes could not be killed at the beginning of WW1.

But Alain-Fournier was.He refused all the protections wealthy people wanted to give him,and he was killed ,one of the first blood ...

Like this?try these.....

"Le Grand Meaulnes" ,Jean-Gabriel Albicoco ,1967

"Marianne de Ma Jeunesse" ,Julien Duvivier,1955