Sugar Cane Alley

1983 1h 43m FR

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 36

DramaFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Martinique, in the early 1930s. Young José and his grandmother live in a small village. Nearly everyone works cutting cane and barely earning a living. The overseer can fine a worker for the smallest infraction. The way to advance is to do well in school. José studies hard and succeeds in an exam allowing him to attend school in the capital. With only a partial scholarship, the tuition is very costly. José and his grandmother move to Fort-de-France to make José's studies easier...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Garry Cadenat
Jose
Darling Légitimus
M'Man Tine
Douta Seck
Medouze
Joby Barnabé
Monsieur Saint-Louis
Francisco Charles
Le Géreur
Marie-Ange Farot
Madame Saint Louis
Marie-Jo Descas
La mère de Léopold
Henri Melon
Monsieur Roc - l'instituteur

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Euzhan Palcy
Writers: Euzhan Palcy
Languages: French
Countries: France, Martinique

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

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Martinique.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Euzhan Palcy, shot by Dominique Chapuis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Garry Cadenat and Darling Légitimus and Douta Seck carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0086213 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 36 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Euzhan Palcy directs. Dominique Chapuis behind the camera. Groupe Malavoi scores. Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte cuts. Produced in France, Martinique. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

143 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: France, Martinique.
3Directed by Euzhan Palcy, shot by Dominique Chapuis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Groupe Malavoi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Garry Cadenat and Darling Légitimus and Douta Seck carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0086213 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 36 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.