Bolero

"The dance of life!"

1981 3h 4m FR

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 88

DramaMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The film follows four families, with different nationalities (French, German, Russian and American) but with the same passion for music, from the 1930s to the 1960s. The various story lines cross each other time and again in different places and times, with their own theme scores that evolve as time passes. The main event in the film is the Second World War, which throws the stories of the four musical families together and mixes their fates. Although all characters are fictional, many of them are loosely based on historical musical icons (Édith Piaf, Josephine Baker, Herbert von Karajan, Glenn Miller, Rudolf Nureyev, etc.) The Boléro dance sequence at the end brings all the threads together.

“The dance of life!”

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Where to watch · US

France Channel Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Robert Hossein
Simon Meyer / Robert Prat
Nicole Garcia
Anne Meyer
Geraldine Chaplin
Suzan / Sara Glenn
Daniel Olbrychski
Karl Kremer
Jorge Donn
Boris & Sergei Itovitch / Lead Dancer of Boléro
Rita Poelvoorde
Tatiana & Tania Itovitch
Macha Méril
Magda Kremer
Évelyne Bouix
Evelyne / Edith

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Claude Lelouch
Writers: Claude Lelouch
Languages: Russian, French, English
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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 184 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Russian, French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Claude Lelouch, shot by Jean Boffety. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Robert Hossein and Nicole Garcia and Geraldine Chaplin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The dance of life!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Claude Lelouch directs. Jean Boffety behind the camera. Francis Lai scores. Hugues Darmois cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in France. Dialogue in Russian, French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 184 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
245 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Russian, French, English.
4Directed by Claude Lelouch, shot by Jean Boffety. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Francis Lai. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Hugues Darmois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Robert Hossein and Nicole Garcia and Geraldine Chaplin carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The dance of life!".
9IMDB entry: tt0083260 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 88 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.