Wow, what a wonderful movie it is! It tells the story of a Jewish boy, Claude being sheltered by a anti-semitic old man & his wife. The 9 year old boy is too energetic & conspicuous for his desperate parents who are trying their best to get through the difficult times without inviting unnecessary attention. So, he is sent to live in the country with the parents of a family friend. The old couple, who Claude later become Pepe & Meme, are very kind & affectionate. The only trouble is that Pepe is anti-semitic & so the old couple is never told that Claude is a Jew.
In the country, away from his parents, Claude behaves like a very responsible little man. He is smart enough to see that even though Pepe hates Jews, he is a good man at heart. It also helps that this old fashioned supporter of Petain has many other prejudices & idiosyncrasies too. In a funny scene, Claude even points out that Pepe actually has all the physical attributes that the old man associates with Jews! Thus, a man who would otherwise seem like a hateful bigot, is actually a good hearted fool who loves his old dog to bits & is so good to Claude that he prefers Pepe's company over his bullying classmates. The infatuation episode with the neighboring girl is a cute touch too. In a particularly poignant scene, Pepe tells Claude how happy he is to have the little guy to talk to & how he can no longer confide in his children (a disappointment to him) or his wife (40 years of bickering, as he puts it!). Meme is a quiet & good natured grandma who now has two children to take care of; Pepe & Claude!
Michel Simon as Pepe is sensational. His scenes with Alain Cohen, who played Claude, are some of the most uplifting scenes I have ever seen. The fun & frolic depicted in these scenes provide an immersive & transcendental experience to the viewer too! As a viewer, I too got attached to the endearing old couple as if they were my own grandparents (here I must confess that as far as I am concerned, my grandparents walked on water!); leaving them was hard for me too!
In the country, away from his parents, Claude behaves like a very responsible little man. He is smart enough to see that even though Pepe hates Jews, he is a good man at heart. It also helps that this old fashioned supporter of Petain has many other prejudices & idiosyncrasies too. In a funny scene, Claude even points out that Pepe actually has all the physical attributes that the old man associates with Jews! Thus, a man who would otherwise seem like a hateful bigot, is actually a good hearted fool who loves his old dog to bits & is so good to Claude that he prefers Pepe's company over his bullying classmates. The infatuation episode with the neighboring girl is a cute touch too. In a particularly poignant scene, Pepe tells Claude how happy he is to have the little guy to talk to & how he can no longer confide in his children (a disappointment to him) or his wife (40 years of bickering, as he puts it!). Meme is a quiet & good natured grandma who now has two children to take care of; Pepe & Claude!
Michel Simon as Pepe is sensational. His scenes with Alain Cohen, who played Claude, are some of the most uplifting scenes I have ever seen. The fun & frolic depicted in these scenes provide an immersive & transcendental experience to the viewer too! As a viewer, I too got attached to the endearing old couple as if they were my own grandparents (here I must confess that as far as I am concerned, my grandparents walked on water!); leaving them was hard for me too!