Life Is a Long Quiet River

Life Is a Long Quiet River (French: La Vie est un long fleuve tranquille) is a 1988 French comedy film directed by Étienne Chatiliez

Life Is a Long Quiet River
Film poster
Directed byÉtienne Chatiliez
Produced by
Written by
  • Étienne Chatiliez
  • Florence Quentin
Starring
Music byGérard Kawczynski
CinematographyPascal Lebègue
Edited byChantal Delattre
Distributed byMK2 Diffusion
Release date
  • 3 February 1988 (1988-02-03)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Box office$30.7 million[1]

Plot

Once upon a time, in a northern French town, there lived two families, from radically different backgrounds.
The Groseilles, who are poor, crass and shrewd people, live in council housing and subsist on welfare and scams. Among their six children, Maurice, 12, is undoubtedly the most cunning.
The Le Quesnoys, who live in an upscale neighbourhood, are as rich and well-meaning as they are devoutly Catholic. The father is the regional managing director of E.D.F., while his wife stays at home and cares for their five children. All is well, except for their daughter Bernadette, 12, whose behaviour seems a bit off lately.
Two worlds which were never supposed to meet.
Twelve years prior, on Christmas Eve, Josette, a young nurse, feeling downcast on account of the cowardly and scornful behaviour of Dr Mavial, OB-GYN, her married lover, had decided in a fit of anger and despair to switch two newborns: the Le Quesnoy's son and the Groseilles' daughter. Thus were born Maurice Groseille and Bernadette Le Quesnoy.
When Mrs Mavial dies and the doctor rejects any possibility of a future together, it is the last straw for Josette, who writes to both families, informing them of the swap and effectively wrecking her lover's career.
For some money, the Groseilles agree to send Maurice to live with the Le Quesnoys, pretending to their other children that they adopted him. Fearing for her mental well-being, the parents decide Bernadette will be kept unaware of the trade. The problem is that, after twelve years, nurture is definitely stronger than nature... and behind the clean-cut façade of the newly minted Maurice Le Quesnoy still lies the crafty mind of Maurice Groseille...

Cast
  • Benoît Magimel as Maurice "Momo" Groseille
  • Valérie Lalonde as Bernadette Le Quesnoy
  • Hélène Vincent as Madame Marielle Le Quesnoy
  • André Wilms as Monsieur Jean Le Quesnoy
  • Christine Pignet as Madame Marcelle Groseille
  • Maurice Mons as Monsieur Frédéric "Frédo" Groseille
  • Guillaume Hacquebart as Paul Le Quesnoy
  • Emmanuel Cendrier as Pierre Le Quesnoy
  • Jean-Brice Van Keer as Mathieu Le Quesnoy
  • Praline Le Moult as Emmanuelle Le Quesnoy
  • Axel Vicart as Franck Groseille
  • Claire Prévost as Roselyne Groseille
  • Tara Römer as Million Groseille (as Tara Romer)
  • Jérôme Floch as Toc-Toc Groseille
  • Sylvie Cubertafon as Ghislaine Groseille
  • Catherine Jacob as Marie-Thérèse
  • Patrick Bouchitey as Father Aubergé
  • Daniel Gélin as Dr. Louis Mavial
  • Catherine Hiegel as Josette

Cult status

The film's initial box office success was due to clever marketing, including a trailer with no footage or scenes from the film, and a poster with only its title. In addition, the film didn't have any big names attached to it, except for veteran French actor Daniel Gelin. It was also the first feature film of Etienne Chatiliez who, until then, had a successful career directing commercials known for their quirky, whimsical style. The film attracted 2.5 million moviegoers, largely due to the word-of-mouth marketing it enjoyed.

Due in part to the film's being shown frequently on French television, it has gained something of a cult following among young French people. The song "Jésus Reviens", sung during a scene at a church, is recognisable to many French youth as one of the film's many satirical digs at the French Catholic bourgeois culture in the era it was filmed.

The 2009 film Neuilly sa mère ! was heavily influenced by Life is a Long Quiet River.[2][3][4]

Accolades

The film received 7 nominations at the César Awards :

AwardCategoryRecipientResult
César Award Best Supporting Actress Hélène Vincent Won
Most Promising Actress Catherine Jacob Won
Best First Feature Film Étienne Chatiliez Won
Best Writing Étienne Chatiliez
Florence Quentin		 Won
Best Film Étienne Chatiliez Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Patrick Bouchitey Nominated
Best Costume Design Elisabeth Tavernier Nominated
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References
  1. http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=5708
  2. ""Neuilly sa mère": Dans la misère des banlieues riches (Neuilly sa mère: in the misery of rich suburbs)". Le Monde. 2009-08-11.
  3. Aubron, Arnaud (2009-08-12). "" Neuilly sa mère " : le cinéma est un long fleuve tranquille (Neuilly sa mère: cinema is a long quiet river)". Rue 89. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
  4. Chahine, Marwan (2009-08-13). "" Neuilly sa mère ! ", un Groseille chez Sarko". Libération. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
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