Truant School

1949 1h 29m FR

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 14

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

1920, in a small village in Provence. Monsieur Pascal, a young schoolteacher, is faced with a lack of interest from his pupils. He decides to radically change the methods employed by his predecessor. He listens to the children, draws inspiration from their discoveries and takes them out into nature. The pupils will rediscover the pleasure of learning, and he will rediscover the pleasure of teaching. But some parents and notables don't take kindly to this little revolution.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Bernard Blier
Buffle Pascal, teacher
Juliette Faber
Lise Arnaud, teacher
Édouard Delmont
Mr. Arnaud, old teacher and Lise's father
Edmond Ardisson
Mr. Pourpre, hairdresser
Henri Arius
Hector Malicorne, le Maire de Salèzes
Gaston Modot
French examiner
Jean-Louis Allibert
Mr. St. Saviole, the 'innovator'
Bréols
Aristide

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jean-Paul Le Chanois
Writers: Jean-Paul Le Chanois
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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

77 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jean-Paul Le Chanois, shot by André Dumaître. 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 Joseph Kosma. 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 Emma Le Chanois 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

Bernard Blier and Juliette Faber and Édouard Delmont carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0040989 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 14 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jean-Paul Le Chanois directs. André Dumaître behind the camera. Joseph Kosma scores. Emma Le Chanois cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
277 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Jean-Paul Le Chanois, shot by André Dumaître. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Joseph Kosma. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Emma Le Chanois shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Bernard Blier and Juliette Faber and Édouard Delmont carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0040989 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 14 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.