Un triomphe
- 2020
- Tous publics
- 1h 45min
NOTE IMDb
7,0/10
3,2 k
MA NOTE
Un acteur en galère accepte pour boucler ses fins de mois d'animer un atelier théâtre en prison. Surpris par les talents de comédien des détenus, il se met en tête de monter avec eux une piè... Tout lireUn acteur en galère accepte pour boucler ses fins de mois d'animer un atelier théâtre en prison. Surpris par les talents de comédien des détenus, il se met en tête de monter avec eux une pièce sur la scène d'un vrai théâtre.Un acteur en galère accepte pour boucler ses fins de mois d'animer un atelier théâtre en prison. Surpris par les talents de comédien des détenus, il se met en tête de monter avec eux une pièce sur la scène d'un vrai théâtre.
- Récompenses
- 4 victoires et 3 nominations au total
Aleksandr Medvedev
- Boïko
- (as Alexandre Medvedev)
Saïd Benchnafa
- Nabil Jouhari
- (as Saïd 'Benco' Benchnafa)
Marina Hands
- Ariane
- (as Marina Hands de la Comédie Française)
Laurent Stocker
- Stéphane
- (as Laurent Stocker de la Comédie Française)
Histoire
Le saviez-vous
- AnecdotesThe film is inspired by real events. In 1985, the Swedish actor-director Jan Jönson staged Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" with the inmates of the Kumla high security prison. On the day of the premiere in Gothenburg, five of the six actors escaped before the performance. This film's closing comments state that this happened on April 28, 1986.
- ConnexionsRemade as Grazie ragazzi (2023)
- Bandes originalesI Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free
Written by Billy Taylor (as William Taylor) and Richard Carrol Lamb
Performed by Dionne Farris
Commentaire à la une
What if someone told you about some prisoners staging Beckett's "Waiting for Godot", with almost none of them having a passion for acting, the one even being illiterate? Surely, you wouldn't believe me. But this is what the director Jan Jönson did with a group of inmates in 1985. The result was a real triumph, and this what this French retelling of the story has as its title.
Etienne Carboni (Kad Merad) is an unemployed actor wanting to find a way to express his favourite passion. This is why he decides to go help some prisoners by teaching them how to play. Their previous instructor had only taught them some of the myths of La Fontaine, making them lose all faith in theatre. But Etienne has other things in mind; seeing them wait desperately for every day to pass, he comes up with the idea to stage a work that is itself about waiting, Beckett's aforementioned masterpiece. Of course,his ambitions are too high at first: almost none of the prisoners knows how to act, and the theatre of the absurd, with its often nonsensical dialogue, is difficult for them to understand. But they get inspired by the charismatic Etienne, and give a performance that would have made Beckett proud.
A lot stands on their way: the director of the prison (Marina Hands) puts a superhuman effort for letting the prisoners stage the play and thus gets desperate when they seem to give up. Such is the attitude of the judge (Catherine Lascault) too, who doesn't believe in the life-changing power theatre has, and because of that has to be convinced in order to let the prisoners play. Above all, every inmate has demons chasing him; there is the illiterate Jordan (Pierre Lottin), who despite his impediment gets to play the most demanding role, Patrick (David Ayala), longing for his dear wife, Moussa (Wabinlé Nabié) an immigrant searching for a better luck in France, who feels every one of his character's words as if they were really his own, Alex (Lamine Cissokho), a giant two metres tall, yet with a child's heart, and Kamel (Sofian Khammes), the most audacious of them, the leader of the group, hiding a secret behind his tough guy façade. With this team, all different as chalk and cheese, how can a successful production be made? This is why Etienne's job seems all the more impressive. He tries to build bonds between his actors, treating them like real performers and not like amateurs. He shows them something they haven't got for years; respect. And it is this respect that will motivate them to do their best.
The film is completely based on the performances. Without them, it would be nothing, for all the originality of the story. The actors portraying the prisoners truly immerse themselves in their roles, and deliver performances that seem more like life slices than pieces of cinema. Merad is poignant in the role of poor Etienne, and his monologue, although less intellectual than Lucky's in Beckett's pièce, is still a sample of real acting talent, full of spontaneity and emotional intensity, depicting the progression of a man who went from not putting up with his actors to admiring them for their resilience.
This resilience is countered with a vulgarity usual for prisoners, but one which gets a different meaning in this film. The inmates not only play in "Waiting for Godot", but make little additions that often transform it to a veritable comedy. Swear words, facial expressions, even extra characters more fitting to a thriller then a Beckett piece, make for a different version of the famous play. By adding all these elements, the prisoners express their tiredness; they can't wait anymore for freedom, for joy, for fun. The show isn't only a way to educate themselves, but works, as theatre often does, cathartically, freeing them from their worries while on stage. Their vulgarity and immaturity serves as a way to make their real state clear: they do have a great time playing, but behind the scenes, they are criminals, on detention for what seems like eternity, not being able to make a step without supervision. This film surely doesn't condone criminal actions; it just shows the human side behind those behind bars. While it may feel condescending at first, with the prisoners' childish behaviour being just an easy way to feel pity for them, it goes on to show how they can shine when given real motives.
When Samuel Beckett learnt of the amateur actors' additions to his play, he said (and here I'm paraphrasing): "This is the best thing to happen to my work". Indeed, it was. The theatre of the absurd, usually reserved for intellectuals, got remade in a version intended for ordinary people. It was a gentle act of love towards Beckett's original play, from some people that didn't fully grasp its meaning. This, of course, didn't matter in the end. The performance was, like the film, a triumph. It truly deserves a standing ovation.
Etienne Carboni (Kad Merad) is an unemployed actor wanting to find a way to express his favourite passion. This is why he decides to go help some prisoners by teaching them how to play. Their previous instructor had only taught them some of the myths of La Fontaine, making them lose all faith in theatre. But Etienne has other things in mind; seeing them wait desperately for every day to pass, he comes up with the idea to stage a work that is itself about waiting, Beckett's aforementioned masterpiece. Of course,his ambitions are too high at first: almost none of the prisoners knows how to act, and the theatre of the absurd, with its often nonsensical dialogue, is difficult for them to understand. But they get inspired by the charismatic Etienne, and give a performance that would have made Beckett proud.
A lot stands on their way: the director of the prison (Marina Hands) puts a superhuman effort for letting the prisoners stage the play and thus gets desperate when they seem to give up. Such is the attitude of the judge (Catherine Lascault) too, who doesn't believe in the life-changing power theatre has, and because of that has to be convinced in order to let the prisoners play. Above all, every inmate has demons chasing him; there is the illiterate Jordan (Pierre Lottin), who despite his impediment gets to play the most demanding role, Patrick (David Ayala), longing for his dear wife, Moussa (Wabinlé Nabié) an immigrant searching for a better luck in France, who feels every one of his character's words as if they were really his own, Alex (Lamine Cissokho), a giant two metres tall, yet with a child's heart, and Kamel (Sofian Khammes), the most audacious of them, the leader of the group, hiding a secret behind his tough guy façade. With this team, all different as chalk and cheese, how can a successful production be made? This is why Etienne's job seems all the more impressive. He tries to build bonds between his actors, treating them like real performers and not like amateurs. He shows them something they haven't got for years; respect. And it is this respect that will motivate them to do their best.
The film is completely based on the performances. Without them, it would be nothing, for all the originality of the story. The actors portraying the prisoners truly immerse themselves in their roles, and deliver performances that seem more like life slices than pieces of cinema. Merad is poignant in the role of poor Etienne, and his monologue, although less intellectual than Lucky's in Beckett's pièce, is still a sample of real acting talent, full of spontaneity and emotional intensity, depicting the progression of a man who went from not putting up with his actors to admiring them for their resilience.
This resilience is countered with a vulgarity usual for prisoners, but one which gets a different meaning in this film. The inmates not only play in "Waiting for Godot", but make little additions that often transform it to a veritable comedy. Swear words, facial expressions, even extra characters more fitting to a thriller then a Beckett piece, make for a different version of the famous play. By adding all these elements, the prisoners express their tiredness; they can't wait anymore for freedom, for joy, for fun. The show isn't only a way to educate themselves, but works, as theatre often does, cathartically, freeing them from their worries while on stage. Their vulgarity and immaturity serves as a way to make their real state clear: they do have a great time playing, but behind the scenes, they are criminals, on detention for what seems like eternity, not being able to make a step without supervision. This film surely doesn't condone criminal actions; it just shows the human side behind those behind bars. While it may feel condescending at first, with the prisoners' childish behaviour being just an easy way to feel pity for them, it goes on to show how they can shine when given real motives.
When Samuel Beckett learnt of the amateur actors' additions to his play, he said (and here I'm paraphrasing): "This is the best thing to happen to my work". Indeed, it was. The theatre of the absurd, usually reserved for intellectuals, got remade in a version intended for ordinary people. It was a gentle act of love towards Beckett's original play, from some people that didn't fully grasp its meaning. This, of course, didn't matter in the end. The performance was, like the film, a triumph. It truly deserves a standing ovation.
- eightylicious
- 25 avr. 2022
- Permalien
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Détails
- Date de sortie
- Pays d’origine
- Site officiel
- Langues
- Aussi connu sous le nom de
- The Big Hit
- Lieux de tournage
- Sociétés de production
- Voir plus de crédits d'entreprise sur IMDbPro
Box-office
- Montant brut mondial
- 2 723 378 $US
- Durée1 heure 45 minutes
- Couleur
- Rapport de forme
- 2.39 : 1
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By what name was Un triomphe (2020) officially released in India in English?
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