Les Choristes Review
by Laura Clifford (laura AT reelingreviews DOT com)February 14th, 2005
THE CHORUS (LES CHORISTES)
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In 1949 Clement Mathieu's (Gerard Jugnot) musical career has gone nowhere, so he accepts a position as supervisor at the ironically named boarding school, Fond de L'Etong ('rock bottom'). To his surprise, his charges are troubled boys under the care of Dickinsonian principal Rachin, but the boys' sing-song taunts inspire him to begin "The Chorus."
France's submission for 2004's Foreign Language Film seems a calculated effort to appeal to the Academy, as it clearly is not anywhere near the best that country has to offer (Godard's "Notre Musique" is just one obviously superior, if risky, choice). Director Christophe Barratier's slight and sentimental film does have its charms, though, especially in his sure-handed direction of the pre-teen cast and Jugnot's warm central performance.
The film is bookended with a modern, New York City setting where a triumphant concert is followed by bad news about the conductor's mother and a visit from a childhood friend, Pepinot, he hasn't seen in fifty years.
Pepinot delivers their former teacher's diary, which reveals the genesis of the conductor's career in a teacher's faith as well as the man's bittersweet, unrequited love for his mother.
Mathieu's arrival at Fond de L'Etong bodes ill - he meets Pepinot (Maxence Perrin) at the gate, waiting for Saturday when his parents will visit (Pepinot has not been told he's an orphan), then is belittled by Principal Rachin (Francois Berleand), who demands he be addressed as if Mathieu were a student rather than a colleague. No sooner is he given over to the school custodian, Maxence (Jean-Paul Bonnaire), than the man is seriously injured by a thrown rock. Rachin refuses to call a doctor, not wishing to pay the fee, but instead insists Mathieu call a school assembly then asks that he arbitrarily choose a boy for punishment when the perpetrator doesn't step forward. Mathieu's predecessor is leaving because of a ten inch scissor slash received from one of the boys and his other colleague embraces Rachin's disciplinary motto of 'Action, Reaction!' by smacking any student who dares to talk at mealtimes.
Mathieu quietly employs his own method for dealing with misconduct, beginning with Le Querrec (Cyril Bernicot), a boy with angelic looks who always takes the blame. In this case, he is indeed guilty of Maxence's injury, but learns a lesson when Mathieu asks that he volunteer in the infirmary to care for his victim in lieu of being turned in. After leaving his class in the hands of Morhange (Jean-Baptiste Maunier), he returns to a blackboard caricature titled 'Baldy,' his students' derogatory name for him, and responds in kind with a clownish rendering of Morhange. Auditions for his choir reveal Morhange to be truly gifted and Mathieu grooms the boy, encouraging his single mother, Violette (Marie Bunel), to allow him to apply for a scholarship at a musical academy while also wooing her so quietly, she fails to notice.
Barratier is adept at handling the light side of his story, weaving the chorale score in and out of the action and providing two uplifting codas to his story's depressing climax, but he sweeps the darker elements under the rug, never fully developing the aspects which could have given his film weight. As punishment, children are locked into darkened solitary, but we never get a sense of the length of this confinement nor its psychological harm. An older bully, Mondain (Gregory Gatignol), is introduced, yet he merely serves the plot, his revenge for unjust treatment at the hands of Rachin coming out of left field with no basis in reality. Barratier takes the typical montage route to show the choir's development, including a beautiful profiled silhouette of Mathieu drawing Morhange's posture into place by centering his index finger on the boy's head, like a puppet on a string, but Rachin's whimsical delight in the sounds of the voices is totally out of character. Rachin disbands the choir, forcing it 'underground,' when his cash supply is stolen by one of his charges.
Jugnot, largely keeping a stoic face, convinces of his characters care and understanding of his boys. He becomes slightly more animated while conducting, clearly exulting in his music. The film's one truly comedic moment rests in the actor's slapstick dash to spruce himself up when Violette comes to visit her son. Casting of the kids is excellent, with Maunier's earnest finding of his voice, Bernicot's hangdog inevitable misconduct, Gatignol's leering menace and Thomas Blumenthal's dumb acceptance of his position as the 'music stand.' Simon Fargeot is the standout funny face and young Perrin is adorable as Mathieu's sad little mascot Pepinot.
"The Chorus" joins the singularly French boy's school genre of "Zero de Conduit", "Diabolique" and "Au Revoir Les Enfants," but will fail to have the lasting impact of those fine films. This is a prime example of one of those movies manufactured for the art house crowd, like Miramax's "Chocolat" - it's sweet but the calories are mostly empty.
C+
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