Lacombe Lucien

Infobox_Film
name = Lacombe, Lucien


caption = Publicity poster
director = Louis Malle
producer = Louis Malle Claude Nedjar
writer = Louis Malle Patrick Modiano
starring = Pierre Blaise Aurore Clément
music = Django Reinhardt
cinematography = Tonino Delli Colli
editing = Suzanne Baron
distributor = 20th Century Fox (U.S.A.)
released = flagicon|France Jan. 30, 1974
flagicon|USA Sept. 29, 1974
runtime = 138 minutes
country = France Italy West Germany
language = French German
budget =
amg_id = 1:98399
imdb_id = 0071733|

"Lacombe, Lucien" (1974) is a French film that tells the story of a teenage boy during the German occupation of France in World War II. It is based in part on director Louis Malle's own experiences. [imdb title|id=0071733|title=Lacombe Lucien.]

Plot

In 1944 Lucien Lacombe, a young peasant in the Lot region is refused permission to join the French Resistance. Instead, the opposing "milice" obtain from him information about an underground leader and recruit him into their organization.

Lucien enjoys his power and inclusion as a member of the German Police but soon falls in love with a Jewish girl. Forcing himself upon her family, Lucien becomes personally involved with the very people some of his collaborators and superiors are, in part, employed to oppress.

Production

Originally, the script was entitled "Le faucon" ("The Falcon") and was supposed to be set in present-day Mexico. However, Malle was not allowed to shoot in Mexico (nor in Chile), so he was forced to rewrite the script, giving it a wartime French setting. The script was then retitled "Le milicien."

Cast

* Pierre Blaise as Lucien Lacombe
* Aurore Clément as France Horn
* Stéphane Bouy as Jean-Bernard
* Therese Giehse as Bella Horn
* Holger Loewenadler as Albert Horn
* Stéphane Bouy as Jean-Bernard
* Loumi Iacobesco as Betty Beaulieu
* René Bouloc as Faure
* Pierre Decazes as Aubert
* Jean Rougerie as Tonin, the chief of police
* Cécile Ricard as Marie, the hotel maid
* Jacqueline Staup as Lucienne Chauvelot
* Ave Ninchi as Mme Georges
* Pierre Saintons as Hippolyte, the black collaborator
* Gilberte Rivet as Lucien's mother
* Jacques Rispal as M. Laborit, le propriétaire

Critical reception

Vincent Canby, film critic for "The New York Times," liked the film and gave it a positive review. He wrote, "Lacombe, Lucien" is easily Mr. Malle's most ambitious, most provocative film, and if it is not as immediately affecting as "The Fire Within" or even the comic "Murmur of the Heart," it's because—to make his point—he has centered it on a character who must remain forever mysterious, forever beyond our sympathy." [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=EE05E7DF173BBA2CA34B4CC9B679988C6896&oref=slogin Canby, Vincent] . "The New York Times," film review, September 30 1974. Last accessed: January 8 2008.]

Film critic Dan Schneider liked the film especially the casting of new actor Pierre Blaise by Louis Malle. He wrote, "Every so often a director makes an inspiring casting choice to not hire a real actor for a role, but go with an unknown, an amateur. Perhaps the best example of this was in Vittorio De Sica's 1952 film "Umberto D"... Yet, not that far behind has to be Louis Malle's decision to cast the lead character for his 1974 film, "Lacombe, Lucien" with an amateur named Pierre Blaise. No actor would likely be able to capture the natural ferality that Blaise brings to the role of a none-too-bright French farm boy who unwittingly, at first, becomes an accomplice and collaborator with the Gestapo in the final months of Vichy France, in late 1944." [ [http://www.unlikelystories.org/schneider0108.shtml Schneider, Dan] . "Unlikely 2.0," film review, 2008.]

Awards

Wins
* National Board of Review: NBR Award, Best Supporting Actor, Holger Löwenadler; 1974.
* British Academy of Film and Television Arts: BAFTA Film Award, Best Film; UN Award; 1975.
* French Syndicate of Cinema Critics: Critics Award, Best Film, Louis Malle; 1975.
* National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA: NSFC Award, Best Supporting Actor, Holger Löwenadler; 1975.

Nominations
* Academy Awards: Oscar, Best Foreign Language Film, France; 1975.
* British Academy of Film and Television Arts: BAFTA Film Award, Best Direction, Louis Malle; Best Screenplay, Louis Malle and Patrick Modiano; 1975.
* Golden Globes: Golden Globe, Best Foreign Film, France; 1975.

References

External links

*
*
* [http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDReviews20/Lacombe_Lucien_dvd_review.htm "Lacombe Lucien"] at DVD Beaver (includes images)
* [http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=329&eid=468&section=essay "Lacombe Lucien"] essay at the Criterion Collection by Pauline Kael