Les Violons du Bal

Stars: Marie-Josee Nat, Jean-Louis Trintignant (And God Created Woman, A Man and a Woman). This absorbing film within a film within a film opens with filmmaker Michel Drach explaining to a producer that he wants to make a film about himself making a film about his Jewish childhood in France during the German occupation. When asked "who dies?" Drach replies "nobody dies." When asked "who's starring?" Drach replies "my family." The producer is openly skeptical. What could have easily turned into a bloated exercise in self-indulgence, Les Violons du Bal is actually a very engrossing story, beautifully filmed, and featuring fine performances from Drach's wife Marie-Josee Nat (who plays Drach's mother) and David Drach (Drach's son) who plays Drach as a young boy. As a concession to the producer, Drach hires famed French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant to play Drach as an adult re-visiting the haunts of his childhood. Shifting back and forth from black & white in modern day to gorgeous color in the past, the film traces Drach's encounters with prejudice at school, his going into hiding in the country, and his family's eventual harrowing flight into neutral Switzerland. Drach's son is radiant as Drach, and his wife picked up a Best Actress award at Cannes for her moving portrayal of Drach's mother. Audience: Foreign film buffs will love, as will those who enjoyed the similarly-themed Oscar-winning Journey of Hope. But the film's complex structure will put some people off.