Monsieur Batignole

2002 1h 40m FR

👍

7.0

SOLID

⭐

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 252★7IMDB · 3,489

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1942, in an occupied Paris, the apolitical grocer Edmond Batignole lives with his wife and daughter in a small apartment in the building of his grocery. When his future son-in-law and collaborator of the German Pierre-Jean Lamour calls the Nazis to arrest the Jewish Bernstein family, they move to the confiscated apartment. Some days later, the young Simon Bernstein escapes from the Germans and comes to his former home. When Batignole finds him, he feels sorry for the boy and lodges him, hiding Simon from Pierre-Jean and also from his wife. Later, two cousins of Simon meet him in the cellar of the grocery. When Pierre-Jean finds the children, Batignole decides to travel with the children to Switzerland.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Gérard Jugnot
Edmond Batignole
Jules Sitruk
Simon Bernstein
Michèle Garcia
Marguerite Batignole
Jean-Paul Rouve
Pierre-Jean Lamour
Alexia Portal
Micheline Batignole
Violette Blanckaert
Sarah Cohen
Daphné Baiwir
Guila Cohen
Götz Burger
SS Col. Spreich

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gérard Jugnot
Writers: Gérard Jugnot, Philippe Lopes-Curval
Languages: French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gérard Jugnot, shot by Gérard Simon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Khalil Chahine. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Catherine Kelber shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Gérard Jugnot and Jules Sitruk and Michèle Garcia carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0291400 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gérard Jugnot directs. Gérard Simon behind the camera. Khalil Chahine scores. Catherine Kelber cuts. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 24 years ago.
2Directed by Gérard Jugnot, shot by Gérard Simon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Khalil Chahine. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Catherine Kelber shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Gérard Jugnot and Jules Sitruk and Michèle Garcia carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt0291400 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Classified under 8 themes, including "paris, france", "escape", "world war ii", "jew persecution".