Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Class, a passionate film that blurs the line between fiction and reality, 15 May 2009
The Class, set in a tough, ethnically diverse comprehensive school on the edge of Paris, follows a group of students and their teacher, whose interactions with one another are sometimes amicable and, at other times, combative. The Class is neither a documentary nor is it, strictly speaking, a docudrama. It is a drama which blurs the line between fiction and reality. Cantet achieved the film's true-to-life feel by using real kids and their teachers from Francoise Dolto Junior High in Paris's 20th arrondissement instead of actors - in much the same tradition as Gillo Pontecorvo's masterpiece, The Battle of Algiers; Ken Loach's Poor Cow and Kes; and more recently Saul Dibb's Bullet Boy. These directors were successful in "engineering" an understated simplicity in their works, as well as creating a heightened sense of realism, achieved by using non-actors to play the main roles, and diverging from a written script. In an interview Cantet revealed no dialogue was written, although a framework story for the students was provided. He also held weekly improv sessions for eight months with the actors, including Francois Begaudeau (who plays the teacher, and also authored the novel and co-authored the screenplay). This process created a sense of spontaneity in each of the scenes. The Class was made with the relatively low budget of 2.3 million euros: It was shot using three high definition cameras (one pointed at the teacher, another on the student at the centre of the scene, and a third camera poised to capture moments of digression).
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Talky & Tedious But Very Insightful, 27 Jun 2009
I went to see `Entre Les Murs' recently with my French class. At the end of the film my teacher apologized for `that abhorrent film' although I think she was being a bit melo-dramatic; it wasn't that bad!
The film is Based on the novel written by Francois Begaudeau (also the lead actor) on his experiences working in a state school with various ethnicities on the outskirts of Paris. `Entre Les Murs' plays out as a docudrama, with all the young actors being normal teens plucked out of school. The acting is adequate for amateurs & considering Begaudeau has never had any acting experience himself he does very well at playing his role convincingly.
The movie is intriguing & a very insightful study into the teacher-pupil dynamics. Even if you don't enjoy this film there is no doubt that you will come out of it thinking about the issues raised which are very interesting for debate. Unfortunately the movie is very talky, in a classroom setting there is obviously going to be a lot of this but at times the movie is very boring & tedious; one example of this is a teacher meeting & there is at least four minutes devoted to the teachers conversing about the staff room coffee machine. I personally don't mind talky films when there is a point to be made, a reason for me to bother listening & being fully attentive. The movie is also very claustrophobic, the whole film is set within the school grounds, I think potentially it could've been a lot more interesting if we were given a deeper insight into some of the adolescent's lives & the teacher's.
In conclusion `Entre Les Murs' is a very rewarding film. If you have patience, good concentration & are really interested in the subject matter then you should be able to make it through `Entre Les Murs', but it is not the kind of film one would watch for entertainment, but for intellectual insight or to spark a debate. I think if it was a real documentary it would've been far more effective & would've given all the characters (particularly the teacher) the depth we disappointingly don't see in the film.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Class, 14 Aug 2009
The Plot
Working in a tough Parisian suburb, teacher François Marin (François Bégaudeau) thinks that he can turn around the fortunes of his unruly class. That is until his class turn on him.
The Review
The winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival should definitely come with a health warning prior to viewing. It should warn all potential teachers to avoid watching the film, as once they watch it, they're likely to be put off teaching for life. They should then be provided with an emergency copy of School of Rock and a tub of Ben and Jerry's.
The Class's original French title, Entre les murs, or Between The Walls, is probably a better title for the film, as the classroom at its centre serves as a cauldron of clashes, not only between the teacher and his 24 students, but between the students themselves. During the school year, there are many ups and downs, with the cauldron continuing to bubble and boil over at certain points. What makes the film all the more brilliant is that this could be any class, in any school.
François Bégaudeau has the real life experience, having written a book on his time in the classroom and this comes across in his performance in the lead role. He is an idealist, constantly pushing the boulder up the hill, simply for it to continue slipping back down. The use of real students, teachers and parents also adds to the authenticity of the film.
The Verdict
A lesson in conflict and communication, The Class has much to teach us about education and attitudes towards it.
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