Les enfants du pays (2006) User Reviews

Crossed tribute to the Senegalese Tirailleurs during WW2 and the French prefect of Eure et Loire department, Jean Moulin (1899-1943)

[p-leblavec · 6/10 · 29 November 2006]

When movie fiction recalls historical facts... "Les Enfants du Pays" (Pierre Javaux, April 2006, Fr., 87 min.) is a mere lesson of tolerance and brotherhood to be discovered by the present and young generations. It tells us the story of the "peaceful skirmish", during the French Debâcle (mai 1940), of a farmer called Gustave (Michel Serrault), staying alone in his deserted village of the French Ardennes (later place of the Battle of the Bulge), with his two grandchildren whom parents have been killed : Camille (Emma Javaux) and Etienne (Arthur Chazal). All three are surprised by five Senegalese infantrymen (Malick, Baye Dame, Bha,Massamba, Lamine et Soguy) lost at the French-Belgian border. Unwittingly, this french film indirectly calls up the "forgotten patriotism" of the young french Prefect of the Eure et Loir county,Jean Moulin (1899-1943), loyal French Republic civil servant who decided to protect, during the gloomy hours of the German invasion of France, the population of his department against the acts of violence of the Invaders and to fight for the military honor of the french-afro soldiers of Western Africa. Because, the French State local Representant will refuse to sign - under the German constraint - a wrongly letter written by the German Army accusing the Western French Africa Troups (Third Bataillon of the 26th Tirailleurs Sénégalais Régiment, RTS, based at Chartrainvilliers) to have slaughtered and mutilated German prisoners, and to have exercised physical cruelty and ill treatment of civilians (La Taye railway station, close to Saint-Georges / Eure, June 14th 1940)... in fact air-raided by the German Airforce Luftwaffe a few days before ! Not to sign this dishonoring paper « Pour ne pas sanctionner cet outrage à l'armée français et se déshonorer lui même », the French Prefect Jean Moulin will decide to attempt to commit suicide, in the night June 17-18th 1940, by slashing his throat with some piece of glass...

Pierre Le Blavec, Jr - L'AvisDevantSoi (LAVDS) - Copyright - April 2006

Lives Of A Senegal Lancer

[writers_reign · 7/10 · 30 June 2006]

It's difficult to guess the target audience the producers were aiming for here. The only 'marquee' name is Michel Serrault and though his CV is as impressive as any he is way up in the paint cards and it's asking a lot to expect him to carry a film as offbeat as this. It's May, 1940 and the Germans are coming. In Etienne's (Serrault) small village in rural France everyone has left leaving just him and a granddaughter Camille and grandson. Then a small - some six or seven -troop of Senagalese soldiers turn up more or less just in time to prevent Camille getting a bad dose of cabin fever. Not a lot happens; she plays the victrola, dances with one of the soldiers and that's about it. Then the Germans finally ARRIVE and blow the village off the map with their panzers. Camille and her brother take to the river leaving the others to do the best they can. There's a certain amount of charm/nostalgia on display here but it's going to have to work hard to find its audience.

A so tiny french movie as I love.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 1 December 2009]

The other comments about this one are very interesting. Far more than mine. Those users know history better than I do. So, I won't add much to the details they talk about.

But this pretty little country side movie reminds me two features. I would say it's a sort of mix up between Sidney Pollack's CASTLE KEEP and Rachid Bouchareb's INDIGENES. Perhaps more the latest, shot in 2005 and released in 2006, which points out the importance of coloured soldiers - African and Arabs - during WW2 against Axis armies. A tale against racism and intolerance. CASTLE KEEP because it shows us a sort of lost patrol who "disturbs" a little community, in the middle of nowhere, and the influence of the "intruders", the "aliens" on the natives.

Far far far more interesting and subtile in the anti racism and historical message than INDIGENES, far too much didactic than this excellent but unfortunately little feature.

Michel Serrault, as usual, is outstanding.

The ending is very sad but so beautiful. We can find some poetry in it. As we saw in CASTLE KEEP.