La vie et rien d'autre (1989)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Bertrand Tavernier

Writers:

Jean Cosmos (scenario & adaptation) &
Bertrand Tavernier (scenario & adaptation) ...
(more)

Release Date:

6 September 1989 (France)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

Un monument!

Plot:

Intense character study of men and women driven by an overpowering obsession with the past.

Plot Keywords:

Missing In Action | Unknown Soldier | 1920s | French Soldier | French Army

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 7 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Philippe Noiret	...	Major Delaplane
Sabine Azéma	...	Irène de Courtil
Pascale Vignal	...	Alice
Maurice Barrier	...	Mercadot
François Perrot	...	Perrin
Jean-Pol Dubois	...	André
Daniel Russo	...	Lieutenant Trévise
Michel Duchaussoy	...	Général Villerieux
Arlette Gilbert	...	Valentine
Louis Lyonnet	...	Valentin
Charlotte Maury-Sentier	...	Cora Mabel (as Charlotte Maury)
François Caron	...	Julien
Thierry Gimenez	...	L'adjudant du génie
Frédérique Meininger	...	Madame Lebègue
Pierre Trabaud	...	Eugene Dilatoire
Jean-Roger Milo	...	Monsieur Lebègue
Catherine Verlor	...	Bonne soeur plage
Jean-Christophe Lebert	...	L'amnésique
Bruno Therasse	...	Rougeaud
Philippe Uchan	...	L'homme sans jambes
Marion Loran	...	Solange de Boissancourt
Charlotte Kady	...	Bonne soeur hôpital (as Charlotte Kadi)
Gabriel Cattand	...	Professeur Mortier
Christophe Odent	...	Poirleau
Christian Magnan	...	Catreux
Jean Champion	...	Lagrange
Philippe Deplanche	...	Lecordier
Michel Cassagne	...	Abel Masclé
Frédéric Pierrot	...	Marcel
François Domange	...	Georges
Jean-Paul Comart	...	Fagot
Patrick Massieu	...	Le gardien du cimetière
Didier Harlmann	...	Le manchot
Pascal Elso	...	L'aveugle
Odile Cointepas	...	Madame Hannesson
Louba Guertchikoff	...	La femme aux yeux bleus
Jean-Claude Calon	...	Le sergent zélé
Jean-Yves Gautier	...	Caporal
Gilles Janeyrand	...	Sous-Officier
Nicolas Tronc	...	Soldat Lefèvre
Jerome Frossard	...	Soldat commissionnaire
Michèle Gleizer	...	La fermière
Daniel Langlet	...	Monsieur Lohac
Adrienne Bonnet	...	Madame Lohac
Marcel Zanini	...	Léon
Marc Perrone	...	Pochin
Georges Staquet	...	Le curé
Alain Frérot	...	Pelat
François Dyrek	...	Vergnes
Oswald d'Andrea	...	Pianiste Cora Mabel
Mickey Baker	...	Banjo jazz
Sancoma Everett	...	Batteur jazz
Bobby Few	...	Pianiste jazz
Steve Potts	...	Saxophoniste jazz (as Stephen Potts)
Mike Zwerin	...	Jennings
Bruno Raffaelli	...	Maginot
Eric Dufay	...	Soldat Thain

Directed by
Bertrand Tavernier

Writing credits
Jean Cosmos		(scenario & adaptation) &
Bertrand Tavernier		(scenario & adaptation)
Jean Cosmos		(dialogue)

Produced by
Frédéric Bourboulon	....	executive producer
René Cleitman	....	delegate producer
Albert Prévost	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Oswald d'Andrea

Cinematography by
Bruno de Keyzer

Film Editing by
Armand Psenny

Production Design by
Guy-Claude François

Costume Design by
Jacqueline Moreau

Makeup Department
Gervaise Ferron-Leroy	....	hair stylist
Eric Muller	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Claude Albouze	....	production manager
Bertrand Soupey	....	production team

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lionel Closson	....	second assistant director
Denis Courtot	....	second assistant director
Tristan Ganne	....	first assistant director
Louna Grid	....	second assistant director
Jean-Philippe Stefani	....	third assistant director

Sound Department
Ariane Boeglin	....	sound editor
Jean-Michel Chauvet	....	boom operator
Michel Desrois	....	sound
William Flageollet	....	sound
Gérard Lamps	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Alain Choquart	....	camera operator
Gil Fontbonne	....	grip
Jean-Yves Freess	....	best boy grip

Other crew
Aude Boedec	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Hachette Première
• AB Films
• Little Bear
• Films A2
• La Sofica Sofinergie (participation)
• Investimage (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)

Distributors

• Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) (1989) (France) (theatrical)
• Orion Classics (1990) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Kino Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Life and Nothing But (International: English title)
Das Leben und nichts anderes (West Germany) [de]
La vida y nada más (Spain) [es]
La vita e niente altro (Italy) [it]
Zycie i nic wiecej (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

USA:135 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | Germany:12

Company:

Hachette Première

Quotes:

Major Dellaplane: All antelopes are beautiful. You know why? Because they're scared. Their eyes are black and they're scared. They're right to be. The world is full of jaws.

It worked for me

I watched La vie et rien d'autre, about a year ago. Well, it stuck with me. And I really wanted to see it again. So I watched it a second time. And some things became clearer to me. The central message obviously that war sucks, that war is a disaster for everybody. And nothing should be done to hide this truth from anybody. That's Delaplane's belief, that's his fight, his moral code. And yes, there is a love story coming to interfere with his dull and depressing duty. Why people can't see that a man such as Delaplane could not handle love, specially while in the middle of such an ugly struggle? I read some negative comments about this film. I just could not understand that. This is a beautiful movie, touching, a bit slow certainly, but the topic does require that we take time to learn all the details so as to better understand the nature of this human drama. What pushes all these people to look for remnants of their loved ones, just to have proof of their death. For what? This we may never understand for not having to live through this. Go ahead, watch this movie. It's not a big action movie, no, it's a reflection movie. A movie that a lot of people who see war as something that's glamorous should have seen, but probably never will... alas!