''Candide ou l'Optimisme du XXe siècle'' () is a 1960 French

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by Norbert Carbonnaux and written by Carbonnaux and Albert Simonin. It stars

Jean-Pierre Cassel Jean-Pierre Cassel (; born Jean-Pierre Crochon; 27 October 1932 – 19 April 2007) was a French actor and dancer. A popular star of French cinema, he was initially known for his comedy film appearances, though he also proved a gifted dramatic a ...

as Candide,

Pierre Brasseur Pierre Brasseur (; 22 December 1905 – 16 August 1972), born Pierre-Albert Espinasse, was a French actor. Biography The son of actors Georges Espinasse and Germaine Brasseur was an actor as well. The family tradition of using the name ''Br ...

as Pangloss, Louis de Funès as the officer of the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, 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 F ...

, and Daliah Lavi as Cunégonde. The film was released under the titles ''Candide'' (alternative French title; USA), ''Candide oder der Optimismus im 20. Jahrhundert'' (West Germany), ''Candide, avagy a XX. század optimizmusa'' (Hungary), and ''Kandyd czyli optymizm XX wieku'' (Poland).

Plot

The film is a 20th-century adaptation of

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

's 1759 social satire novel '' Candide, ou l'Optimisme''. Set in the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

-era, it follows the adventures of Candide, an orphaned

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

n brought up in a baron's chalet. He falls in love with the baron's daughter, Cunégonde, and is thrown out of the house when the baron discovers them kissing. When war breaks out in 1939, Candide is drafted and then captured by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

, but escapes and joins the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a aid agency, humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of Law of ...

. Candide's improbable adventures take him into a concentration camp to rescue his tutor, Pangloss; then he is off to South America (where he endures a series of revolutions), Borneo (where he is imprisoned by a primitive tribe), Moscow (where he accidentally foments a missile crisis between the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and the United States), and New York (where he gets mixed up in a racial clash). Finally, back in France, he retires to a country house with Cunégonde, Pangloss, and a mysterious lady who saved him from a

firing squad Firing may refer to: * Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination * Firemaking, the act of starting a fire * Burning; see combustion * Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms * Execution by firing squad, a method of ...

, and settles down to write his

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autob ...

Other film treatments

In 1947

Marcel Carné Marcel Albert Carné (; 18 August 1906 – 31 October 1996) was a French film director. A key figure in the poetic realism movement, Carné's best known films include ''Port of Shadows'' (1938), ''Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939), ''Les Visiteurs du Soi ...

intended to create a film based on Voltaire's 1759 satire ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

'', but production was abandoned. The 1986 film ''Live from Lincoln Center: Candide'' was also based on the same novel.

Cast

: Candide * Louis de Funès : the officer of the Gestapo *

: Pangloss * Daliah Lavi : Cunégonde, the daughter of baron * Nadia Gray : the live-in companion of Cunégonde * Michel Simon : the colonel Nanar * Jean Richard : the trafficker of the black market *

Darío Moreno David Arugete (; 3 April 1921 – 1 December 1968), commonly known under his stage name Darío Moreno, was a Turkish-Jewish polyglot singer, an accomplished composer, lyricist, and guitarist. He attained fame and made a remarkable career centr ...

: Don Fernando, the first dictator * Luis Mariano : the second dictator South American * Jean Tissier : the doctor Jacques * Jacqueline Maillan : the puritanical mother *

Jean Poiret Jean Poiret, born Jean Poiré (17 August 1926 – 14 March 1992), was a French actor, director, and screenwriter. He is primarily known as the author of the original play ''La Cage aux Folles (play), La Cage aux Folles''. Early career Poire ...

: a policeman * Michel Serrault : a policeman * Albert Simonin : the major Simpson * Mathilde Casadesus : the baroness of Thunder-Ten-Trouck * Robert Manuel : all German officers *

Jean Constantin Jean Constantin (; born Constantin Cornel Jean; 21 August 1927 – 26 May 2010) was a well-known Romanian comedian of Greeks in Romania, Greek ethnicity. Constantin was born in Techirghiol, and died in Constanța. Filmography *' (2010) .... A ...

: the king Fourak * Don Ziegler : the papa gangster * O'dett : the baron Thunder-Ten-Trouck * Michel Garland : the brother of Cunégonde * Jacques Balutin : the prescription of the colonel * Gib Grossac : the leader of the Eunuches * Michèle Verez : Paquerette, the maid of the baroness * Sybil Saulnier : a lady from the harem * Habib Benglia : the manhandled Black * Mireille Alcon : a lady from the harem * Danielle Tissier : a lady from the harem *

François Chalais François Chalais (; December 15, 1919 – May 1, 1996) was a prominent French reporter, journalist, writer and film historian. The François Chalais Prize at the annual Cannes Film Festival is named after him. Biography Born in Strasbourg in ...

: the commentator of the film * Harold Kay : an American officer * John William : the leader of "Oreillons" *

Pierre Repp Pierre Repp (5 November 1909 in Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, France – 1 November 1986 in Plessis-Trévise, France) was a French humorist and actor. His real name was Pierre Alphonse Léon Frédéric Bouclet. On 14 August 1930, he married Ferdinande ...

: the priest *

Alice Sapritch Alice Sapritch (29 July 1916 – 24 March 1990) was a French film actress. She appeared in 66 films between 1950 and 1989. Partial filmography * ''Le tampon du capiston'' (1950) – La pharmacienne * ''Le crime du Bouif'' (1952) * '' If P ...

: the sister of the baron * Maurice Biraud : the Dutchman from Bornéo * Michel Thomass : a Soviet driver

References

External links

* *

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

Candide, ou l'optimisme au XX siecle (1960)
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' movie review
''Candide ou l’optimisme au XXe siècle'' (1960)
at the ''Films de France'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Candide Ou L'optimisme Au Xxe Siecle 1960 comedy-drama films 1960 films French comedy-drama films French black-and-white films Films directed by Norbert Carbonnaux Films based on French novels Works based on Candide Films with screenplays by Albert Simonin French World War II films 1960s French-language films 1960s French films Films scored by Hubert Rostaing French-language comedy-drama films