Monsieur Batignole

This is a rather good simple light movie about a heavy subject. Despite its heavy WW II subjects, such as anti-semitic feelings, collaborates, this movie at all times remains a light and pleasant one to watch, due to its approach and way of storytelling.

The movie is rather simplistic and there is not an awful lot of tension or even surprises in this movie really. Yet the movie is effective since it is well made, has nice characters and a rather nice main plot line that it follows.

The movie is build up well and sets up a good feeling and atmosphere of 1942 occupied Paris and the characters of the movie. Too bad that about half way through the movie the movie suddenly takes another approach and becomes an almost entirely different movie, with different settings and also for some part different characters. It's also obvious that they spent most time and effort on the first halve of the movie that is definitely better looking, more believable constructed and has a better flow. In the second halve of the movie some unlikely events occur and the movie and story at times feels like it was done in a hurry and not everything flows well or reaches a satisfying conclusion.

The movie has some good and enjoyable characters in it and the movie gets carried by Gérard Jugnot, who also directed and wrote the movie, who plays a rather unsympathetic and anti-hero at first but as the story develops he gets more and more human so the speak and starts showing his emotions and expresses his thoughts. This is a nice approach for the main character that also works well for the story. It's a great role by Gérard Jugnot, who shows how multi-talented he is. The young Jules Sitruk also was great in a quite big role. Jean-Paul Rouve was also greatly cast as the future son-in-law and collaborator.

The movie is a good watch but overall the movie is just a bit too light and simplistic to leave a really lasting or powerful impression.

6/10

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In 1942, in an occupied Paris, the apolitical grocer Edmond Batignole (Gérard Jugnot) 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 (Jean-Paul Rouve) calls the Nazis to arrest the Jewish Bernstein family, they move to the confiscated apartment. Some days later, the young Simon Bernstein (Jules Sitruk) 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.

What a delightful movie this "Monsieur Batignole" is! The story is realistic, balancing dramatic situations with some funny scenes, like, for example, when Batignole is called in the train station to help a German soldier with a twisted knee. Another interesting and quite original aspect is the unusual number of French collaborators, since it is very difficult to see a movie that recognizes that they did exist in times of war. Further, Monsieur Batignole is not the usual hero, but a man driven by the reality to have a heroic action instead. The boy Jules Sitruk steals the movie with his attitudes, and Gérard Jugnot and Jean-Paul Rouve are fantastic. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Herói Por Acaso" ("Hero by Chance")

Both an entertaining and a sincere movie. Jules Sitruk definitely did a very good job in here. The story had indeed some emotional involvements and was above the average. I liked the way Gerard Jugnot and Jules interacted with each other. Sometimes it was a bit oversubscribed and unrealistic - I'm thinking of the gorgeous sequence with the German soldier who had his knee dislocated - but nonetheless it didn't minimize the movie's natural charm. The historical background adds a significant amount of authenticity to the whole plot and grants the movie additional quality. Solid acting, entertaining experience. Recommended.

Though a very heavy subject, Monsieur Batignole approaches the French collaboration and attempts of two Jewish families to escape war-time Paris in an enjoyable manner that is so common of Jugnot.

Jugnot plays one of his typical likeable characters who doesn't want to get involved, but finds himself nonetheless thrown in with three Jewish children as they attempt to escape to Switzerland. Jean-Paul Rouve also does a fabulous job of acting, making you hate him just for playing his character.

Well seasoned with humor, recognition and turning points, this is definitely a good film to see and perhaps even learn a lesson from.

The great strength of: Monsieur Batignole, already resides in a careful and readable production, moreover it benefits from wonderful interpretations, qualified as fair and remarkable by its actors including and especially: Gérard Jugnot (marvelous of emotion and truth) and Jean-Paul Rouve (César for best male hope in 2003). The other actors in the movie were also exemplary. This movie is also a fiction, it is incredibly good, a suspense will reign as well as splendid scenes of tenderness which will delight your heart, without the realization exaggerating in any way on certain scenes which are real jewels. A Magnificent movie.