Lacombe Lucien

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Lacombe Lucien

Lacombe Lucien video cover
Directed by Louis Malle
Produced by Louis Malle,
Claude Nedjar
Written by Louis Malle,
Patrick Modiano
Starring Pierre Blaise,
Aurore Clément
Music by Django Reinhardt
Cinematography Tonino Delli Colli
Distributed by 20th Century Fox (USA)
Release date(s) Flag of France January 30, 1974
Flag of United States September 29, 1974
Running time 137 minutes
Language French, German
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Lacombe Lucien is a 1974 French film that tells the story of a teenage boy during the German occupation of France in World War II. It is based in part on director Louis Malle's own experiences.

Contents

[edit] Plot

In 1944 Lucien Lacombe, a young peasant in the Lot region is refused permission to join the French Resistance. Instead, the opposing 'milice' obtain from him some information and recruit him. Lucien enjoys his power and inclusion as a member of the German Police but soon falls in love with a Jewish girl. Forcing himself upon her family, Lucien becomes attached to the very people he has been employed to oppress.

[edit] Production

Originally, the script was entitled Le faucon ("The Falcon") and was supposed to be set in present-day Mexico. However, Malle was not allowed to shoot in Mexico (nor in Chile), so he was forced to rewrite the script, giving it a wartime French setting. The script was then retitled Le milicien.

Because the main character from Lacombe Lucien is similar to the teenage milicien in Jean Genet's novel Funeral Rites (1949), Malle sent Genet an early version of the script and traveled to Calabria to confer with him about the project. Reportedly, Genet remarked that "films in uniform don't work".[citation needed]

[edit] Cast

  • Pierre Blaise - Lucien Lacombe
  • Aurore Clément - France Horn
  • Stéphane Bouy - Jean-Bernard
  • Therese Giehse - Bella Horn
  • Holger Loewenadler - Albert Horn

[edit] Awards and recognition

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Day for Night
BAFTA Award for Best Film
1975
Succeeded by
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
In other languages