The Chorus

2004 Drama

French producer and musician Christophe Barratier makes his directorial debut with the drama Les Choristes, inspired by the 1947 film La Cage aux Rossignols. Wildly successful orchestra conductor Pierre Morhange (Jacques Perrin) returns home when his mother dies. He recollects his childhood inspirations through the pages of a diary kept by his old music teacher Clément Mathieu (Gérard Jugnot). Back in the late '40s, little Pierre (Jean-Baptiste Maunier) is the badly behaved son of single mother Violette (Marie Bunel). He attends a dreary boarding school presided over by strict headmaster Rachin (François Berléand). New teacher Mathieu brightens up the place and organizes a choir, leading to the discovery of Pierre's musical talents. Featuring performances by Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc Choir. Les Choristes was shown at the Berlin Film Festival in 2004. more..

Director: Christophe Barratier

Starring: Gérard Jugnot, Jean-Baptiste Maunier, François Berléand, Maxence Perrin, Kad Merad

 30 Reviews  21 Awards

Reviews

  • An enchantingly beautiful and moving film.

    Claudia Puig - USA Today

    19 January 2013

  • A runaway hit in France last year and the country's official Oscar entry, is a well-nigh irresistible film celebrating the redemptive power of music.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • Larded over with le fromage, which is to say, French cheese. But as these dairy products go, Christophe Barratier's movie is delectable sentiment. Audiences will crumble into itty-bitty pieces of Roquefort watching this.

    Desson Thomson - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • Does it by the numbers, so efficiently this feels more like a Hollywood wannabe than a French film. Where's the quirkiness, the nuance, the deeper levels?

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • Most of the film, a debut feature directed by Christophe Barratier, is quite shamelessly formulaic. The Chorus redeems itself, though, with Mr. Jugnot's astute, understated performance.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

    Academy Awards (2005)

     

  • Best Narrative Feature - Distributed

    Austin Film Festival (2004)

  • Bruno Coulais

    BAFTA Awards (2005)

     

  • Best Director

    Bangkok International Film Festival (2005)

  • Dominique Gentil

    Camerimage (2004)

     

Lists

No lists

©2013 Movie Monitor