Louis Malle's incisive portrait of adolescent life in WWII France was justly nominated for a Best Foreign Film award in 1987. An autobiographical tale, the story is filtered through the naive sensibilities of a twelve-year-old boy named Julien Quentin (Gaspard Manesse). Julien, who resides at an all-male Catholic boarding school, is caught on the horns of a dilemma: respected by his peers for his savage wit and willingness to engage in pranks, he is also a bit of a closet intellectual (devouring books on the sly, after the other boys have gone to bed). When Jean Bonnet, a quiet, intelligent boy, joins the school-Julien goes to war within himself, feeling drawn to and threatened by this strange child prodigy. In time, Julien discovers Jean's mysterious origins: his real name is not Bonnet, but Kippelstein. He is a Jew, in hiding. Malle superbly handles the tension of dangerous knowledge in the hands of a sensitive, but unpredictable, boy. Though the film takes a tragic turn - as the viewer knows it indeed must - the revelation comes from a petty series of unrelated events, culminating in a glance... A poignant, powerful film. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Mar. 15, 2011—Criterion, 105 min., in French w/English subtitles, PG, $39.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1987's Au Revoir Les Enfants boasts a great transfer with mono sound. Blu-ray extras include an interview with Louis Malle biographer Pierre Billard (31 min.), Charlie Chaplin's 1917 short comedy “The Immigrant”—featured in the film” (25 min.), an interview with Malle's widow Candice Bergen (14 min.), a “Joseph: A Character Study” profile (6 min.), audio excerpts from a 1988 AFI interview with Malle, a booklet featuring essays by film critic Philip Kemp and historian Francis J. Murphy, and trailers. Bottom line: one of Malle's best makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]
This title is included in our article on teaching historical and current events using film