''Je suis le seigneur du château'' (English: ''I'm the King of the Castle'') is a 1989 French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

, directed by

Régis Wargnier Régis Wargnier (; born 18 April 1948) is a French film director, film producer, screenwriter and film score composer. His 1992 film ''Indochine (film), Indochine'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards. ...

, loosely based on the 1970 novel '' I'm the King of the Castle'' by the English writer

Susan Hill Dame Susan Hill, Lady Wells, (born 5 February 1942) is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include ''The Woman in Black'', '' The Mist in the Mirror'', and '' I'm the King of the Castle'', for which she received t ...

Plot

The film stars Régis Arpin as 10-year-old Thomas, the son of a

millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short scal ...

. Together, they live a fairly isolated existence, in a mansion in rural France. His father ( Jean Rochefort) hires a woman (

Dominique Blanc Dominique Blanc (born 25 April 1956) is a French actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' May Fools'' (1990), '' Indochine'' (1992), '' La Reine Margot'' (1994), ''Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train'' (1998), and '' The Other One'' ...

), whose husband has been reported missing in the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...

, to take care of things while he is away. The maid's son, Charles ( David Behar) moves in as well, and the two parents hope that the two can become friends; they become enemies immediately after meeting each other. Once their parents fall in love, Thomas decides to make Charles, whom he views as an "invader", as miserable as possible. ''Je suis le seigneur du château'' might be compared by some to the

Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to prom ...

film '' The Good Son'', with its similar storyline. However, whereas Culkin's character is psychotic, Arpin's character's actions attempt to serve a purpose. The movie was recently repacked with '' La Femme de ma vie'' in a 2-DVD set.

Notes

The film was shot at the chateau de Beaumanoir in the

Côtes-d'Armor The Côtes-d'Armor (, ; ; br, Aodoù-an-Arvor, ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord ( br, Aodoù-an-Hanternoz, link=no, ), are a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.

, in the Le Leslay commune. One sees also the countryside of the

Huelgoat Huelgoat (; meaning "High Forest") is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Huelgoat are called in French ''Huelgoatains''. Geography Huelgoat is popular with tourists and holida ...

region and the town of

Morlaix Morlaix (; br, Montroulez) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Leisure and tourism The old quarter of the town has winding streets of cobbled stones and overha ...

(the viaduct and the little streets around the church Saint-Melanie). The film was shot just a few months after the storm of 1987 of which there is visual evidence in the film.Fiche Cinematheque Bretagne
/ref> The film deviates from the novel in several key ways. Most notably, it imbues a

homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be temporary, whereas "homose ...

subtext in the relationship between Thomas and Charles. In the book, Thomas (named Edmund) and Charles fluctuate between being friends and enemies, but there are never any suggestions of romance between the two.

References

External links

* 1989 films Films based on British novels Films directed by Régis Wargnier Films set in the 1950s Films set in 1954 Films set in country houses Films set in France French drama films 1980s French films {{1980s-France-film-stub