Etre Et Avoir (DVD)

==The Film==

It's hard to put your finger on what exactly it is that makes "Être et Avoir" (To Be and To Have) such a magical, heartwarming and compelling film. First released in 2002, and newly released on DVD with English subtitles in June 2009, the film has enjoyed critical acclaim and international success, in my mind for good reason.

On the face of it the subject matter doesn't seem that promising, a ...
...class in a primary school in France for six months. This, however, is no reality TV special - somehow the director has managed in this film to capture something special and even the subtitles don't detract from what is a beautifully shot insight into the lives of the children and their teacher.

Apparently Philibert visited over 100 schools before he settled on the one he chose, which is in a village in the Auvergne area. In rural ... more

The Film

It's hard to put your finger on what exactly it is that makes "Être et Avoir" (To Be and To Have) such a magical, heartwarming and compelling film. First released in 2002, and newly released on DVD with English subtitles in June 2009, the film has enjoyed critical acclaim and international success, in my mind for good reason.

On the face of it the subject matter doesn't seem that promising, a documentary maker, one Nicolas Philibert, followed the progress of a class in a primary school in France for six months. This, however, is no reality TV special - somehow the director has managed in this film to capture something special and even the subtitles don't detract from what is a beautifully shot insight into the lives of the children and their teacher.

Apparently Philibert visited over 100 schools before he settled on the one he chose, which is in a village in the Auvergne area. In rural France, you will often find that primary schools are very small, older children get bussed into bigger towns or are housed in State School boarding, but some primary schools will only have one class for all ages. This is the case here where there are 13 children in the class from age 4-11, who all have to be taught at the same time and at differing levels. Georges Lopez, their teacher, is in his last year of teaching as the story of the children's school year, or part of it, unfolds.

The camera somehow manages to seem unintrusive as we see the daily ups and downs of school life for the children, and the way that M.Lopez, their teacher gently guides them in their learning and helps them develop. He creates a classroom where you feel everyone, including the teacher himself is learning, it's the kind of place where you feel you would like to be.

Still, pinpointing what exactly makes this film so wonderful is problematic; perhaps seeing little Alizé's lips wobble when she realises someone has run off with part of her precious eraser collection that she has carefully arranged on her desk, or watching Jojo, who features on the dvd cover trying to wash his paint covered hands properly, reminds us of the children that we were. Maybe an Ofsted-free and more spontaneous environment where taking the children out to sledge in the snow or on a walk in the field is still a simple and acceptable thing reminds us how learning should be - in any case the film is fascinating and the 100 minutes it lasts are enjoyable ones.

There are plenty of lovely shots of the scenery, but this is no idealistic or airbrushed portrayl of school life - we also see the fallings out of the children, and watching the teacher trying to prepare a shy and ungainly Nathalie for "big school" is almost heartbreaking. Somehow through this film you sense that their teacher is really attached to them, despite his very formal manner at times, and you, the viewer get attached to them too.

I've watched this film many times, but every time I notice something new, and I always wonder what happened to the characters in the film when the cameras left. The teacher, to me, is inspirational, and really seems to be passionate about his work. As is common in France he lives above the school, and you know that as he retires he will have to move on. I was a little disappointed somehow to learn that after the international success of this film M.Lopez apparently decided he deserved a share of the profits rather than a nominal fee, he lost his case it seems, but I guess retired teachers have material needs too. It was a pity to learn this as if ever a teacher seemed driven by vocation it would be Georges Lopez in this film.

As you can tell I thoroughly recommend this film, some of the filming is a little grainy, it was filmed without added artifical light in the classroom to avoid intrusion as much as possible, as a whole the film is beautifully crafted and the music which accompanies it is fitting too. This is just a perfect film.

Extras:

The only extras on this film are the original trailer, which can be viewed here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuFD7WEe_yI and a list of the director's other works.

NB though I have had to select a category for special effects and performances, these categories do not really apply.

Film currently available from Amazon for £10.68.

(also on dooyoo in my name)

 

...less