Valiant Hearts (French: Cœurs vaillants) is a 2021 World War II drama film written and directed by Mona Achache from a screenplay she co-wrote with Christophe Offenstein, Jean Cottin, Anne Berest, and Valérie Zenatti, starring Camille Cottin.[6] The film is a co-production between France and Belgium and it is based on the real-life story of Achache's grandmother, Suzanne Achache–Wiznitzer, who was a Jewish child placed in foster care during World War II to escape the Holocaust. The film made its world premiere at the War On Screen Film Festival on 1 October 2021. It was released theatrically in France by BAC Films on 11 May 2022.
Valiant Hearts | |
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French | Cœurs vaillants |
Directed by | Mona Achache |
Written by |
|
Produced by | Jean Cottin[1] |
Starring | Camille Cottin |
Cinematography | Isarr Eiriksson[1] |
Edited by | Beatrice Herminie[1] |
Music by | Benoit Rault[1] |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | BAC Films[1] |
Release dates | |
Running time | 85 minutes[1] |
Countries | |
Language | French[1] |
Budget | €3,7 million[4][5] |
Plot
editIn 1942 during World War II, six Jewish children are hidden by the French Resistance in the Chambord Castle to escape the Holocaust.
Cast
edit- Camille Cottin as Rose
- Maé Roudet Rubens as Hannah
- Léo Riehl as Jacques
- Ferdinand Redouloux as Josef
- Lila-Rose Gilberti as Clara
- Asia Suissa-Fuller as Henriette
- Luka Haggège as Léon
- Félix Nicolas as Paul
- Swann Arlaud as the curator
- Anne-Lise Heimburger as German officer
- Patrick d'Assumçao as the priest
- Franck Beckmann as the gamekeeper
Production
editDevelopment
editThe film is based on the real-life story of director Mona Achache's paternal grandmother, Suzanne Achache–Wiznitzer,[7] who was a Jewish child placed in foster care during World War II to escape the Holocaust.[8][9][10]
The original title, Cœurs vaillants, refers to the French Catholic magazine for children that the hidden children discover in the film.[9]
The character Rose, portrayed by Camille Cottin, was inspired by Rose Valand, a conservator at Paris's Jeu de Paume Museum and a member of the French Resistance who spied and documented artworks stolen by Nazi officers.[11]
The film is a co-production between France's Les Films du Cap and Orson Films, and Belgium's Scope Pictures[11][3] It was pre-purchased by the French pay-per-view television channels Canal+ and Ciné+ in 2020.[11] Bac Films purchased the film for theatrical release in France.[11] International sales were handled by Other Angle Pictures.[11]
Filming
editFilming was postponed by a few weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] Principal photography began on 29 July 2020 and wrapped on 15 September 2020.[11] Filming took place in the commune of Chambord, Loir-et-Cher in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France,[13] and at the Chambord Castle.[14] The shooting followed a strict COVID-19 safety protocol monitored by a COVID reference nurse, and everyone except the actors were using masks on set.[13] The regulations required the children 26 days of filming for them to complete their back-to-school week, so the crew took a week's break.[12]
After shooting at the Chambord Castle for 9 days, the cast and crew then moved to a forest near the Butte de Vienne where filming took place for 18 days.[12] The film's production built a cabin in the forest that should be preserved by Chambord.[12]
Soundtrack
editOn 2 May 2022, Cocotte & Les Films du Cap released the album with the film's official soundtrack composed by Benoit Rault for HiTnRuN.[15][unreliable source?]
Cœurs Vaillants un film de Mona Achache (Bande originale du film) | |
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Soundtrack album by Benoit Rault for HiTnRuN | |
Released | 2 May 2022 |
Genre | Film soundtrack |
Length | 26:08 |
Label | Cocotte & Les Films du Cap |
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Benoit Rault.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Les passagers" | 03:44 |
2. | "La traversée" | 03:30 |
3. | "A Suzanne" | 02:18 |
4. | "Grande" | 00:40 |
5. | "La fuite de Clara" | 03:01 |
6. | "Immensité" | 03:12 |
7. | "Héros toujours" | 02:52 |
8. | "La cabane" | 02:01 |
9. | "Illuminé" | 02:24 |
10. | "Un totem à Juneau" | 01:42 |
11. | "Les passagers 2" | 02:44 |
Total length: | 26:08 |
Release
editThe film made its world premiere at the War On Screen Film Festival in Mourmelon-le-Grand, France on 1 October 2021.[2] It was released theatrically in France by BAC Films on 11 May 2022.[3]
Reception
editCritical response
editAlloCiné, a French cinema site, gave the film an average rating of 2.7/5, based on a survey of 9 French reviews.[16]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Valiant Hearts de Mona Achache (2021)". Unifrance. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ a b Roussel, Mathieu (28 September 2021). "Une projection de cinéma en avant-première à Mourmelon dans le cadre de War On Screen". Journal L'Union (in French). Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Vaillant Hearts". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Cœurs vaillants | Valiant Hearts (Titre international)". Crew United. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Dispatch MG Chart Cannes by ecrantotal". Infogram. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ Bommelaer, Claire (10 May 2022). "Notre critique de Cœurs vaillants: la guerre à hauteur d'enfance". Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Marillenknödel, a recipe by Mamé, a film by Mona Achache". Grandmas Project. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "L'invité - Mona Achache". TV5Monde (in French). 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ a b Tremblay, Odile (20 May 2022). ""Coeurs vaillants", les enfants cachés sous l'Occupation". Le Devoir (in French).
- ^ "Cinéma : "Cœurs vaillants", un film de Mona Achache, au cinéma le 11 mai". France Télévisions (in French). 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Lemercier, Fabien (14 August 2020). "Mona Achache is shooting Cœurs vaillants". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Clap de fin à Chambord pour le film "Coeurs vaillants"". La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). 21 September 2020.
- ^ a b "VIDEO. A Chambord, le tournage du film "Coeurs vaillants" s'adapte à la crise sanitaire". La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). 1 August 2020.
- ^ "Domaine national de Chambord | Rapport d'activités 2020" (PDF). Chambord Castle (in French). pp. 45, 51, 92. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "'Valiant Hearts' Soundtrack Released". Film Music Reporter. 18 May 2022. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Critiques presse pour le film Cœurs vaillants". AlloCiné (in French). Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
External links
edit- Valiant Hearts at IMDb
- Valiant Hearts at AlloCiné (in French)
- Valiant Hearts at Rotten Tomatoes
- Official website (in French)
- Official trailer on YouTube
- Press kit (in French)