''Au revoir les enfants'' (, meaning "Goodbye, Children") is an autobiographical 1987 film written, produced and directed by

Louis Malle Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down," Malle's filmogr ...

. It is based on the actions of Père Jacques, a French priest and headmaster who attempted to shelter Jewish children during the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

. The film won the Golden Lion at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

Plot

During the winter of 1943–44, Julien Quentin, a student at a Carmelite boarding school in occupied France, is returning to school from vacation. He acts tough to the students at the school, but he is actually a pampered boy who misses his mother deeply. Saddened to be returning to the monotony of boarding school, Julien's classes seem uneventful until Père Jean, the headmaster, introduces three new pupils. One of them, Jean Bonnet, is the same age as Julien. Like the other students, Julien at first despises Bonnet, a socially awkward boy with a talent for arithmetic and playing the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

. One night, Julien wakes up and finds Bonnet wearing a kippah and praying in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. After digging through his new friend's locker, Julien learns the truth. His real name is not Bonnet, but Jean Kippelstein. Père Jean, a compassionate, sacrificing

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

at the school, had agreed to grant secret asylum to hunted Jews. After a game of treasure hunt, however, Julien and Jean bond and a close friendship develops between them. When Julien's mother visits on Parents' Day, Julien asks his mother if Bonnet, whose parents could not come, could accompany them to lunch at a gourmet restaurant. As they sit around the table, the talk turns to Julien's father, a factory owner. When Julien's brother asks if he is still for Marshal Pétain, Madame Quentin responds, "No one is anymore." However, the

Milice The ''Milice française'' (French Militia), generally called ''la Milice'' (literally ''the militia'') (), was a political paramilitary organization created on 30 January 1943 by the Vichy regime (with German aid) to help fight against the Fre ...

arrive and attempt to expel a Jewish diner. When Julien's brother calls them "'' Collabos''", the Milice commander is enraged and tells Madam Quentin, "We serve

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, madam. He insulted us." However, when a

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

officer coldly orders them to leave, the Milice officers grudgingly obey. Julien's mother comments that the Jewish diner appears to be a very distinguished gentleman. She insists that she has nothing against Jews, but would not object if the

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

politician Léon Blum were hanged. Shortly thereafter, Joseph, the school's assistant cook, is exposed for selling the school's food supplies on the black market. He implicates several students as accomplices, including Julien and his brother, François. Although Père Jean is visibly distressed by the injustice, he fires Joseph but does not expel the students for fear of offending their wealthy and influential parents. On a cold morning in January 1944, the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one orga ...

raid the school, searching for Jean Kippelstein. As his classroom is being searched, Julien unintentionally gives away Bonnet by looking in his direction. As the other two Jewish boys are hunted down, Julien encounters the person who denounced them, Joseph the kitchen hand. Trying to justify his betrayal in the face of Julien's mute disbelief, Joseph tells him, "Don't act so pious. There's a war going on, kid." Disgusted, Julien runs off. Jean and Julien exchange books, a shared habit of theirs, as they pack away their belongings due to the closure of the school. As the students are lined up in the school courtyard, a Gestapo officer denounces Père Jean's actions and further accuses all French people of being weak and undisciplined. Meanwhile, Père Jean and the three Jewish students are led away by the officers. Père Jean shouts: "''Au revoir, les enfants! À bientôt!''" to the children and they respond: "''Au revoir, mon père!''" As they leave the grounds, Jean glances over towards Julien briefly, and he waves in return. The film ends with an older Julien providing a voiceover epilogue, in which he mentions that Bonnet, Negus and Dupre died at Auschwitz, whereas Père Jean died at

Mauthausen Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regu ...

; the school later reopened in October. He explains that although more than 40 years have passed, he will remember every second of that January morning until the day he dies.

Cast

Gaspard Manesse Gaspard Manesse (born 25 March 1975 in Paris) is a French actor, composer and musician. He is best known for his starring role as Julien Quentin in the film ''Au revoir, les enfants'' (1987). He acted in and composed the music for the film ''Comme ...

as Julien Quentin * Raphaël Fejtő as Jean Kippelstein, alias "Jean Bonnet" *

Francine Racette Francine Racette (born September 23, 1947) is a retired Canadian actress. She is best known for her performances in '' Au revoir les enfants'', '' Lumière'' and '' The Disappearance''. She is the current and third wife of actor Donald Sutherla ...

as Mme Quentin (Julien's mother) * Stanislas Carré de Malberg as François Quentin (Julien's older brother) * Philippe Morier-Genoud as Father Jean/Père Jean *

François Berléand François Berléand (; born 22 April 1952) is a French actor. He plays Gilles Triquet, the officer manager and equivalent of David Brent in ''Le Bureau'', the French version of ''The Office'', produced by Canal+. He also appeared in the 2002 fil ...

as Father Michel/Père Michel *

Irène Jacob Irène Marie Jacob (born 15 July 1966) is a French-Swiss actress known for her work with Polish film director Krzysztof Kieślowski. She won the 1991 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for the Kieślowski film ''The Double Life of Vero ...

as Mlle Davenne * François Négret as Joseph (kitchen helper) *

Peter Fitz Peter Fitz (8 August 1931 – 10 January 2013) was a German stage and film actor. Biography Fitz completed an apprenticeship at the drama school of the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg in the 1950s. In the 1960s, engagements at the Schaus ...

as Dr. Müller * Pascal Rivet as Boulanger * Benoît Henriet as Ciron * Richard Leboeuf as Sagard *

Xavier Legrand Xavier Legrand (born 28 March 1979) is a French actor, scriptwriter and filmmaker. Legrand was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for the 2013 film ''Avant que de tout perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)''. His first ...

as Babinot * Arnaud Henriet as Negus * Damien Salot as Dupre

Actual events

The film is based on events in the childhood of the director,

, who at age 11 was attending a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

boarding school near Fontainebleau. One day, he witnessed a

raid in which three

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

students and a Jewish teacher were rounded up and deported to Auschwitz. The school's headmaster, Père Jacques, was arrested for harboring them and sent to the

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...

. He died shortly after the camp was liberated by the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

, having refused to leave until the last French prisoner was repatriated. Forty years later

Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...

, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, granted Père Jacques the title of

Righteous Among the Nations Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to sa ...

Reception

The film was extremely well received by critics and has a 97% "Fresh" rating at the review aggregator site

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on 37 reviews, with the consensus: "Louis Malle's autobiographical tale of a childhood spent in a WWII boarding school is a beautifully realized portrait of friendship and youth." The film was also a box office success having 3.5 million admissions in France and grossing $4,542,825 in North America. The screenplay was published by Gallimard in the same year.

Awards nominations

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

- Nominated *

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...

(

) - Nominated Golden Globe Awards *

- Nominated British Academy Film Awards *

Best Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

(Louis Malle) - Nominated *

Best Film Not in the English Language The BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. The award was first given at the 36th British Academy Film Awards, r ...

- Nominated * Best Direction (Louis Malle) - Won *

(Louis Malle) - Nominated

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

(Louis Malle) - Won *

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

(Louis Malle) - Won * Most Promising Actor (François Négret) - Nominated * Best Writing (Louis Malle) - Won * Best Cinematography (

Renato Berta Renato Berta is a Swiss cinematographer and film director, best known for his collaborations with directors Alain Tanner and Jean-Marie Straub. Trained at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, Berta has worked as cinematographer in m ...

) - Won * Best Production Design (

Willy Holt Willy Holt (30 November 1921 – 22 June 2007) was an American production designer, art director and actor who lived in France for many years. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film '' Is Par ...

) - Won * Best Costume Design (

Corinne Jorry Corinne Jorry (born 23 April 1943) is a French costume designer. She was nominated four times for the César Award for Costume Design, which she won for her work in the film '' All the World's Mornings'' (1991). She was also nominated for the Ac ...

) - Nominated * Best Editing (Emmanuelle Castro) - Won * Best Sound (Jean-Claude Laureux, Bernard Le Roux and Claude Villand) - Won David di Donatello Awards *

Best Foreign Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

(Louis Malle) - Won According to

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

, the title for his first feature-length film, ''

Reservoir Dogs ''Reservoir Dogs'' is a 1992 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino in his feature-length debut. It stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Tarantino, and Edward B ...

'' (1992), came about after a patron at a

Video Archives Video Archives was a video rental store located in Manhattan Beach, California, and later moved to Hermosa Beach, California, owned and managed by Lance Lawson and Rick Humbert. Filmmakers Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary and Daniel Snyder worked t ...

rental store, where Tarantino worked, misheard his film suggestion of ''Au revoir les enfants'' as "reservoir dogs".

References

External links

* *
''Au Revoir les Enfants''
screenplay at

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

''Au revoir les enfants: Childhood's End''
an essay by Philip Kemp at the Criterion Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Au Revoir Les Enfants 1980s war drama films 1987 films Films about Catholicism Films about the French Resistance Films directed by Louis Malle Best Film César Award winners Films whose director won the Best Direction BAFTA Award Films whose director won the Best Director César Award French coming-of-age films French war drama films 1980s French-language films Golden Lion winners Holocaust films Louis Delluc Prize winners The Holocaust in France West German films 1987 drama films Films set in boarding schools Rescue of Jews during the Holocaust 1980s French films