Criterion Collection (series)

Au Revoir Les Enfants

DVD Features:

Audio:

• Dolby Digital Mono - French
• Subtitles - English

Description by OLDIES.com:

This movie tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss between two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie - until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Louis Malle's own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening.

Product Description:

This autobiographical recounting of Malle's most tragic memory begins in 1944 at an all-boy Catholic school. A young boy befriends a new student whom the others feel is different. When he discovers the new student is a Jew, he tells no one and remains a true friend. Tragedy strikes when a school employee tells the Gestapo they are hiding Jews and the student is arrested and taken away.

Plot Synopsis:

Louis Malle based this semi-autobiographical film on a painful childhood memory. In occupied France, Jews had to hide to stay alive. But young Julien Quentin isn't aware of this, and when several new students arrive at his Catholic school, Julien knows only that he likes Jean Bonnet, one of the new boys. They two become fast friends; then, one day, Julien figures out the truth about Jean: he's Jewish, and in hiding from the Nazis. And in a moment of irrecoverable thoughtlessness, Julien makes a tragic mistake...

Plot Keywords:

Biography | Drama | Race Relations | Theatrical Release

Production Notes:

• The film won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, as well as 7 French Césars, including Best Picture. Academy Award Nominations: Best (Original) Screenplay.

Cast and Crew: