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A Sunday in the Country

Original title: Un dimanche à la campagne
  • 1984
  • G
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
3.4K
YOUR RATING
A Sunday in the Country (1984)
Period DramaDrama

An elderly painter whose son visits with his family on the weekends, is also surprised by a visit from his still-single daughter.An elderly painter whose son visits with his family on the weekends, is also surprised by a visit from his still-single daughter.An elderly painter whose son visits with his family on the weekends, is also surprised by a visit from his still-single daughter.

  • Director
    • Bertrand Tavernier
  • Writers
    • Pierre Bost
    • Bertrand Tavernier
    • Colo Tavernier
  • Stars
    • Louis Ducreux
    • Michel Aumont
    • Sabine Azéma
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    3.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Bertrand Tavernier
    • Writers
      • Pierre Bost
      • Bertrand Tavernier
      • Colo Tavernier
    • Stars
      • Louis Ducreux
      • Michel Aumont
      • Sabine Azéma
    • 19User reviews
    • 17Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 13 wins & 12 nominations total

    Photos14

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    Top cast15

    Edit
    Louis Ducreux
    Louis Ducreux
    • Monsieur Ladmiral
    Michel Aumont
    Michel Aumont
    • Gonzague
    Sabine Azéma
    Sabine Azéma
    • Irène
    • (as Sabine Azema)
    Geneviève Mnich
    Geneviève Mnich
    • Marie-Thérèse
    • (as Genevieve Mnich)
    Monique Chaumette
    Monique Chaumette
    • Mercédès
    Thomas Duval
    • Emile
    Quentin Ogier
    Quentin Ogier
    • Lucien
    Katia Wostrikoff
    • Mireille
    Claude Winter
    • Madame Ladmiral
    Jean-Roger Milo
    • Fisherman (Le pêcheur)
    Pascale Vignal
    • A servant (La serveuse)
    Jacques Poitrenaud
    • Hector (Patron guinguette)
    Valentine Suard
    • Little girl (La petite fille 1)
    Erika Faivre
    • Little girl (La petite fille 2)
    Marc Perrone
    • Accordionist (L'accordéoniste)
    • Director
      • Bertrand Tavernier
    • Writers
      • Pierre Bost
      • Bertrand Tavernier
      • Colo Tavernier
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews19

    7.43.4K
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    Featured reviews

    9dbdumonteil

    The dark side of the sun.

    A lot of people consider it Tavernier's best .

    An old man lives in the country in a desirable property.He waits for his children's visit .Whereas his son ,Gonzague,who lives a bourgeois life with wife and kids frequently turns up,his daughter Irene , a socialite ,a woman ahead of her time is often too busy in Paris to remember his old papa.

    On a clear sunny day,they all gather in the father's house .Suddenly the house does not look that much cozy.The novel on which the movie is based is called "Mr Ladmiral Va Bientôt Mourir" (M.Ladmiral is soon going to die)and Death shows beneath the placid surface : a terrifying vision of the old man on his death bed -there is a similar scene in John Huston's last work-;a fleeting souvenir of a picnic in the garden where they used to eat (wild?) strawberries;more prosaically,when the family arrives near the church,they can hear "Nearer to thee ,my God" (the Titanic band's canticle!).

    The admirable sequence in the Guinguettes displays not only Tavernier's tribute to Auguste Renoir,but also his love for the true masters of the French cinema:Auguste's son Jean ("Une Partie de Campagne") ,Julien Duvivier ("La Belle Equipe") and Jacques Becker ("Casque d'or").

    This is a brilliant movie by the man who is perhaps the greatest living French director.His command of the picture is so fascinating that even the frequent voice -overs are not redundant.

    Like this?Try these.......

    Make way for tomorrow Leo McCarey 1937

    Une Partie de Campagne Jean Renoir 1936

    Wild Strawberries Ingmar Bergman 1957

    Eglantine Jean Claude Brialy 1971

    The dead John Huston 1987
    8kenjha

    A Rewarding Experience

    In early 20th century France, an impressionist painter is visited at his country estate by his grown children. This is a very low-key film where nothing much happens but where one experiences the satisfaction of having spent a Sunday afternoon in the country engaged in conversation with intelligent people. Ducreux is excellent as the patriarch nearing the end of his life who relishes the visit from his dutiful son and free-spirited daughter, but is overcome with feelings of nostalgia and perhaps regret. The cinematography is gorgeous, with images suggesting impressionist paintings. The soundtrack appropriately consists of chamber music, that of Faure.
    couzijn

    A puzzling but pleasant film with a long aftertaste

    I saw this film sixteen years ago, at a time when I did not see many 'filmhouse' movies yet. It made a strong impression on me, I wasn't used to so many 'open spaces' in films, which spectators have to fill according to their own ideas. Later I understood that once you start filling these 'holes' with pieces of yourself, the film becomes much more personal.

    From time to time I think back to this film, like I did just now when I looked it up in the IMDB. Its storytelling, or rather story-hinting, is apparently so strong that even after sixteen years I am looking for some answers to the questions that the film raises.

    In short: go see it.
    8bandw

    A painterly portrait of an aging painter and his family

    In pre-WWI France Monsieur Ladmiral prepares for the day in his large country house near Paris. It is Sunday, the day his son Gonzague and family frequently visit him. Gonzague arrives by train with his wife and three children - two young sons and a daughter. Monsieur Ladmiral walks to the station to meet them. Well actually he only makes it about half way there when he meets the family walking toward his house. Thus we are introduced to one of the themes - how Ladmiral deals with getting older (in this case by denying that he can't walk as fast as he used to).

    On this particular Sunday Ladmiral is also treated to a rare visit by his daughter Irène. She arrives by car and her breezy, outgoing personality dominates. The children take to her, but the reactions of the rest of the family are much more complex. Gonzague has been the dutiful son who has done what was expected of him while Irène is clearly a bit of a free spirit. But equally as clear is that Ladmiral favors his daughter for her determination to live life on her own terms and is disappointed that his son has not been more aggressive.

    It is amazing how much we come to understand the dynamics of this family from observing them during this one day. Typical of the hints we get is Gonzague's comment, in response to the excitement over Irène's car, that "I had children and not a car." By the end you feel that you can extrapolate backward in time to the essential history of this family.

    Particularly poignant are the musing of the old man himself. He has been a painter of some repute and respect, but feels perhaps that he took too modest a path in his work, that he could have been more experimental and made more significant contributions. Is he wishing that he had been more like Irène than Gonzague, and that is why he fancies his daughter?

    The pacing is slow and the filming is lush. You are left with a certain wistfulness. This may evoke memories to visits to your own grandparents.

    The focus in on the personalities and the undercurrents of conflicted feelings that exist in all families.
    9Luuk-2

    A sun drenched stroll through the French countryside

    Bernard Tavernier manages to turn the very simple plot of a son and a daughter visiting their aging painter-father in the countryside into a series of poetic reflections on life and art, youth and old age, the city and the country, potential and (partial) fulfilment. With the help of absolutely wonderful shots in pastel colours (achieved by means of skipping the 'bleaching' phase in the processing of the film) and very unobtrusive commentary Tavernier takes his viewers on a one day tour of the musings of a 70 year old impressionist painter who is looking back on his life and work. Many of the shots will remind an attentive audience of the paintings by Monet, Renoir and others, even if Tavernier argues they were largely inspired by the first colour pictures of the Lumière brothers.

    The US release of this magnificent film has English subtitles. Even though one cannot blame the subtitlers for concentrating on essentials they have in my opinion needlessly erred on the side of sparsity.

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    Related interests

    Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen in Little Women (2019)
    Period Drama
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.
    • Goofs
      Irene's flower in her bodice disappears and then reappears.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Falcon and the Snowman/That's Dancing!/A Sunday in the Country (1985)
    • Soundtracks
      Quintette pour piano et cordes Op. 115
      Written by Gabriel Fauré

      Performed by Le quatuor Via Nova, Jean Hubeau piano solo

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    FAQ18

    • How long is A Sunday in the Country?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 11, 1984 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Ein Sonntag auf dem Lande
    • Filming locations
      • Château du Grand Saint-Léger, Villers-en Arthies, Val-d'Oise, France(house and garden)
    • Production companies
      • Films A2
      • Little Bear
      • Sara Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,411,143
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,411,143
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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