Jacquou le Croquant
Encyclopedia
Jacquou le Croquant is a 2007 French historical film, based on the novel by Eugène Le Roy. Set in the Dordogne
during the Bourbon Restoration
, it tells the story of a young peasant who leads a revolt against an evil nobleman. It was nominated for two César Award
s in 2008.
Having no one to take care of him, Jacquou begs on the streets alongside other children whom he befriends over time. And one cold winter night, Jacquou decides to kill himself by freezing to death in a cemetery beside a church. He is discovered by a priest who resuscitates him with his friend, the physician. Jacquou grows up under their protection and works as an altar boy.
After Jacquou becomes an adult, he has his first confrontation with Nansac at a dance competition. Nansac shows up with his gang of servants, uninvited, and ruins the festive mood among the people. His daughter Galiote joins his father as well and it is revealed that she has a secret longing for Jacquou for having saved her life. Jacquou humiliates Nansac and defies his authority in front of townspeople. Infuriated Nansac soon has his men capture Jacquou and pushes him into the underground well to die. Nevertheless Jacquou manages to get out, finding a room filled with firearms in the process, and plots with his friends to overthrow Nansac. When he returns home, Jacquou finds Galiote in his home, who came in to avoid the rain. Although Jacquou orders her to get out at first, he soon softens and gives her some of his dry clothes before telling her to go home. When Galiote gets out of his house she is faced with an angry mob and narrowly escapes their hands.
Jacquou attacks Nansac's castle while a group of his men goes in to secure the weapons he discovered earlier. Many of Nansac's servants are killed by hidden marksmen and the nobles find themselves cornered. Jacquou fights Nansac alone and defeats him. When people urge him to kill Nansac, Jacquou responds that he would rather see him deteriorate miserably. When the castle is lit on fire and everyone seems to have gotten out, the nobles notice that Galiote is still in her room. Jacquou returns to save her and hands her over to Nansac. At then end of the night Jacquou thanks the townspeople for helping him but tells them not to be involved any further as they will probably be executed.
Some time later Jacquou is seen at the court as he faces charge of rioting and sexually assauting Galiote, brought on by Nansac. However Galiote testifies in favor of Jacquou and swears that he never touched her. Jacquou is freed and Nansac, impoverished and homeless, tastes another defeat.
Near the end Jacquou's friends tells him that Galiote is about to leave the town in search of work. Persuaded by Lina, Jacquou goes to bid adieu. He is finally reconciled with Galiote as he hugs her.
gave the film a positive review, praising it as "feisty family fare" with "pleasingly Dickensian
" themes. Characterizing the film as a "handsomely mounted, old-fashioned mini-epic
", Variety singled out its cinematography
for praise: "Painterly widescreen lensing wins the day. Shot in the burnished fields and rustic outcroppings of France and Romania, with a preference for classy amber and ochre tones, many scenes look like vintage etchings or oil paintings."
s in 2008
.
Dordogne
Dordogne is a départment in south-west France. The départment is located in the region of Aquitaine, between the Loire valley and the High Pyrénées named after the great river Dordogne that runs through it...
during the Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
, it tells the story of a young peasant who leads a revolt against an evil nobleman. It was nominated for two César Award
César Award
The César Award is the national film award of France, first given out in 1975. The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma....
s in 2008.
Plot
1815. Jacquou, a young peasant from the Périgord region, lives happily with his parents. Misfortune falls upon the family when Jacquou's father is hunted for killing servants of a cruel and arrogant nobleman, the Count of Nansac. Jacquou's father flees the town but promises his son that he will join the family soon. Jacquou is acquainted with Galiote, Nansac's daughter, and her care-taker Lina when his mother works as a laundry maid at Nansac's castle with her identity untold. Jacquou at first tries to harm Galiote by letting pigs out of the pen as she throws pebbles at them, leaving the pigs agitated. However he changes his mind and saves her, leaving both Lina and Galiote impressed and grateful. Soon after this incident Jacquou's mother loses her job and is forced to leave the house with Jacquou. To make everything worse, all her attempts to save her husband fail as well. Jacquou's father is then captured and dies in prison. Upon this knowledge, she makes Jacquou swear to avenge his father's death. Jacquou's mother soon dies due to grief and harsh living conditions.Having no one to take care of him, Jacquou begs on the streets alongside other children whom he befriends over time. And one cold winter night, Jacquou decides to kill himself by freezing to death in a cemetery beside a church. He is discovered by a priest who resuscitates him with his friend, the physician. Jacquou grows up under their protection and works as an altar boy.
After Jacquou becomes an adult, he has his first confrontation with Nansac at a dance competition. Nansac shows up with his gang of servants, uninvited, and ruins the festive mood among the people. His daughter Galiote joins his father as well and it is revealed that she has a secret longing for Jacquou for having saved her life. Jacquou humiliates Nansac and defies his authority in front of townspeople. Infuriated Nansac soon has his men capture Jacquou and pushes him into the underground well to die. Nevertheless Jacquou manages to get out, finding a room filled with firearms in the process, and plots with his friends to overthrow Nansac. When he returns home, Jacquou finds Galiote in his home, who came in to avoid the rain. Although Jacquou orders her to get out at first, he soon softens and gives her some of his dry clothes before telling her to go home. When Galiote gets out of his house she is faced with an angry mob and narrowly escapes their hands.
Jacquou attacks Nansac's castle while a group of his men goes in to secure the weapons he discovered earlier. Many of Nansac's servants are killed by hidden marksmen and the nobles find themselves cornered. Jacquou fights Nansac alone and defeats him. When people urge him to kill Nansac, Jacquou responds that he would rather see him deteriorate miserably. When the castle is lit on fire and everyone seems to have gotten out, the nobles notice that Galiote is still in her room. Jacquou returns to save her and hands her over to Nansac. At then end of the night Jacquou thanks the townspeople for helping him but tells them not to be involved any further as they will probably be executed.
Some time later Jacquou is seen at the court as he faces charge of rioting and sexually assauting Galiote, brought on by Nansac. However Galiote testifies in favor of Jacquou and swears that he never touched her. Jacquou is freed and Nansac, impoverished and homeless, tastes another defeat.
Near the end Jacquou's friends tells him that Galiote is about to leave the town in search of work. Persuaded by Lina, Jacquou goes to bid adieu. He is finally reconciled with Galiote as he hugs her.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Gaspard Ulliel Gaspard Ulliel Gaspard Ulliel is a French film actor and model. He began appearing in made-for-television films during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and then began to be known as a film actor in France, as well as starring in the title role in the thriller Hannibal Rising.-Life and career:Ulliel was born in... |
Jacquou (adult) |
| Léo Legrand | Jacquou (child) |
| Marie-Josée Croze Marie-Josée Croze -Career:Croze was born in Montreal, QC. She won the award for Best Actress at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in The Barbarian Invasions. She was cast by prominent Hollywood director Steven Spielberg for his film Munich which was released in December 2005... |
Jacquou's mother |
| Albert Dupontel Albert Dupontel Albert Dupontel is a French actor and film director. He started his career as a stand-up comedian... |
Jacquou's father |
| Tchéky Karyo Tchéky Karyo -Early life:Karyo was born in Istanbul to a Greek mother and Sephardic-Jewish father and raised in Paris, France. He studied drama at the Cyrano Theatre and later became a member of the Daniel Sorano Company, playing many classical roles.-Career:... |
The Chevalier |
| Olivier Gourmet Olivier Gourmet Olivier Gourmet is a Belgian actor. He won the Best Actor award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for his role in Le Fils by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. He also appeared in La Promesse, Rosetta and L'Enfant.... |
The curé Bonal |
| Jocelyn Quivrin Jocelyn Quivrin Jocelyn Quivrin was a French actor. He had a supporting role in the critically acclaimed film Syriana.-Childhood and education:Jocelyn Quivrin was born in Dijon on 14 February 1979... |
The Count of Nansac |
| Malik Zidi | Touffu |
| Vincent Valladon | Touffu (child) |
| Gérald Thomassin | Le bigleux |
| Elliott Valence | Le bigleux (child) |
| Judith Davis | Lina |
| Clémence Gautier | Lina (child) |
| Bojana Panić Bojana Panic Bojana Panić was born in Yugoslavia, May 24, 1985. She is a fashion model and an actress.-As model:Bojana started her international career in Milan after being discovered by the Names Agency... |
La galiote |
| Raisa Mihailescu | La galiote (child) |
| Dora Doll Dora Doll Dora Doll is a French actress. She was born Dorothea Feinberg in Berlin.One of her first screen appearances was as Juliette in Henri-Georges Clouzot's Manon . She appeared as Lola in Jacques Becker's Touchez pas au grisbi and as Genisse in Jean Renoir's French Cancan... |
Fantille |
| Jérôme Kircher | The Advocate |
| Renan Carteaux | The Baron Vallière |
| Jeff Esperansa | Mario |
| Théodore Isorni | The Jesuit |
Reception
VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
gave the film a positive review, praising it as "feisty family fare" with "pleasingly Dickensian
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
" themes. Characterizing the film as a "handsomely mounted, old-fashioned mini-epic
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
", Variety singled out its cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
for praise: "Painterly widescreen lensing wins the day. Shot in the burnished fields and rustic outcroppings of France and Romania, with a preference for classy amber and ochre tones, many scenes look like vintage etchings or oil paintings."
Awards
The film was nominated for two César AwardCésar Award
The César Award is the national film award of France, first given out in 1975. The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma....
s in 2008
César Awards 2008
The 2008 César Awards were the 32nd edition of the biggest annual film awards in France. The ceremony took place in the Théâtre du Châtelet on 22 February 2008; it was presented by Antoine de Caunes.-Winners and nominees:...
.
- Best Production DesignCésar Award for Best Production DesignThis is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Production Design .-Winners and nominees:*1976: Pierre Guffroy: Que la fête commence*1977: Alexandre Trauner: Monsieur Klein...
- Christian Marti (nominee) - Best Costume DesignCésar Award for Best Costume DesignThis is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Costume Design .-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
- Jean-Daniel Vuillermoz (nominee)