''A Cage of Nightingales'' ( French: ''La Cage aux rossignols'') is a 1945 French film directed by

Jean Dréville Jean Dréville (20 September 1906 – 5 March 1997) was a French film director. He directed more than 40 films between 1928 and 1969. Selected filmography * '' Autour de L'Argent'' (1928) * ''A Man of Gold'' (1934) * ''The Chess Player'' ( ...

. It was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Story The Academy Award for Best Story was an Academy Award given from the beginning of the Academy Awards until 1956. This award can be a source of confusion for modern audiences, given its co-existence with the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenpl ...

, and served as an inspiration for the film '' The Chorus'' (2004).

Synopsis

Clement Mathieu seeks to publish his novel without success. With the help of a friend who is a journalist, his story about the 'Cage of Nightingales' is slipped surreptitiously into a newspaper... In France, in the 1930s, a supervisor at a rehabilitation house awakens difficult teens' inner musical tendencies by forming a choir, despite the director's skepticism. Later, this experience is reported in a novel in a major newspaper. The history of the Cage of Nightingales' is directly inspired by that of an actual educational centre, called Ker Goat, where Jacques Dietz, Roger Riffier and their teams worked to help children in difficulty through choral singing and innovative teaching methods.

Cast

Noël-Noël Noël-Noël (born Lucien Noël, 9 August 1897 – 5 October 1989) was a French actor and screenwriter. Partial filmography * ''La prison en folie'' (1931) - Yves Larsac * '' When Do You Commit Suicide?'' (1931) - Léon Mirol * '' Mistigri ...

as Clément Mathieu *

Micheline Francey Micheline Francey (October 19, 1919 – January 1, 1969) was a French film actress.Hayward p.115 Selected filmography * ''The Chess Player'' (1938) * ''The Phantom Carriage'' (1939) * ''Le Corbeau'' (1943) * ''Madly in Love'' (1943) * ''A Cage o ...

as Micheline *

Georges Biscot Georges Biscot (15 September 1889 – 18 December 1944) was a French film actor. He starred in some 28 films between 1916 and his death in 1944. He appeared in films such as '' Barrabas'' in 1920, and he died on 18 December 1944 in Paris. F ...

as Raymond *

René Génin René Génin (25 January 1890 – 24 October 1967) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1931 and 1965. Selected filmography * ''The Brighton Twins'' (1936) * ''27 Rue de la Paix'' (1936) * ''Nights ...

as Le père Maxence *

René Blancard René Blancard (12 March 1897 – 5 November 1965) was a French film actor. He appeared in 80 films between 1922 and 1965. Selected filmography * '' The Mysteries of Paris'' (1922) - Bras-Rouge * ''Montmartre'' (1925) - Frédéric Charanç ...

as Monsieur Rachin *Marguerite Ducouret as La mère de Micheline *

Marcelle Praince Marcelle Praince (9 June 1882 – 26 October 1969) was a French actress. Praince was born Célestine Cardi in Vigeois, Corrèze, France and died in Maisons-Laffitte, Yvelines. Selected filmography * '' Should We Wed Them?'' (1932) * ''The ...

as La présidente *

Marthe Mellot Marthe Mellot (16 February 1870 - 13 August 1947) was a French film actress. Marthe Mellot was born in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire, Nièvre, France, and died in Paris. Selected filmography * ''Feu Mathias Pascal'' (1925) * ''The Red Robe'' (1933) * ...

as Marie *

Georges Paulais Georges Paulais (16 September 1884 – 12 December 1967) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 140 films between 1910 and 1956. He was born in Guimps, Charente, France and died in Chabanais, Charente, France. Selected filmograph ...

as Monsieur Langlois *

André Nicolle André Nicolle (1 June 1885 – 25 February 1945) was a French film actor.Phillips p.212 Selected filmography * ''The Chocolate Girl'' (1927) * ''Karina the Dancer'' (1928) * ''The Vein'' (1928) * ''Temptation'' (1929) * '' The Unknown Dancer'' ( ...

as Monsieur de la Frade *Richard Francoeur as Monsieur de Mézères *Jean Morel as Le directeur *

Roger Vincent Roger Vincent (1878–1959) was a French actor who acted in over 100 movies over five decades. Selected filmography * ''The Stairs Without End '' (1943) * ''The White Waltz'' (1943) * ''Her Final Role'' (1946) * '' The Murderer is Not Guilty'' ...

as L'académicien *Michel François as Lequerec *Roger Krebsl as Laugier *Choir - Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois

Reception

The film was the second most popular movie at the French box office in 1945. A highly regarded adaptation of the film, under the title ''Les Choristes'' (English title: The Chorus) came out in 2004, and starred the French actor

Gérard Jugnot Gérard Jugnot (; born 4 May 1951) is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer. Jugnot was one of the founders of the comedy ''troupe'' Le Splendid in the 1970s, along with, among others, his high-school friends Christian Cl ...

. It was directed by

Christophe Barratier Christophe Barratier (born 17 June 1963) is a French film producer, director and screenwriter, and lyricist. Early life and education Barratier is the son of the actress Eva Simonet and M. Barratier. He is the nephew of the film director Jacques ...

References

External links

* 1940s French-language films 1945 films Films directed by Jean Dréville Films about educators French black-and-white films French musical drama films 1940s musical drama films 1945 drama films 1940s French films {{1940s-France-film-stub