Entre les murs = The class / Sony Pictures Classics ; Haut et Court présente en coproduction avec France 2 cinéma ; avec la participation de Canal+, Cinécinéma, France 2 ; en association avec Cofinova 4, Soficinema 3 ; avec la participation du Centre National de la Cinématographie de l'Ascé et de la Région Ile-de-France ; un film de Laurent Cantet ; scénario, Laurent Cantet, Robin Campillo, François Bégaudeau ; produit par Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo, Simon Arnal, Barbara Letellier.

[Paris] : Haut et Court, [2009]

Culver City, CA : Distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, [2009]

1 videodisc (130 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in.

Based on Bégaudeau's semi-autographical book Entre Les Murs (Between the Walls) "The Class" dramatizes a year in the life of a middle school in an immigrant heavy, multiracial neighborhood in Paris. The students are also nonprofessionals, and classroom sessions were improvised from workshops around specific themes. The documentary-approach to the filming puts the lie to the one-teacher-can-make-a-difference myth propagated by so many other films about school. The shifting classroom dynamics emphasize how traditions, economics, and language hold these students back, not only in education, but also with forging any kind of unified French identity. Additionally, the film suggests it is not just racists or reactionaries that are worrisome; it is when genuine idealists are finally worn down, when the gulf between meaning well and doing well becomes unbridgable. Until the system can be changed, both battles and victories will be moment to moment.

Class.

Images / Video & Film

French; English; Spanish

March 08, 2017

Image [camera], Pierre Milon, Catherine Pujol, Georgi Lazarevski, Julie Conte, Vincent Buron, Arthur Chassaing, Romaine Kelfa ; montage [editing], Robin Campillo, Stéphanie Léger ; costumes, Marie Le Garrec, Babeth Joinet, Camille Guillé, Juliette Milon, Manuela Taco ; décoration [production design], Sabine Barthélémy, Hélène Bellanger, Maryline Le Bihan, Laurent Dameme, Frédéric Mas.

François Bégaudeau; students, Agame Malembo-Emene, Angélica Sancio, Arthur Fogel, Boubacar Toure, Burak Özyilmaz, Carl Nanor, Cherif Bounaïdja Rachedi, Dalla Doucoure, Damien Gomes, Esmeralda Ouertani, Eva Paradiso, Henriette Kasaruhanda, Juliette Demaille, Justine Wu, Rachel Regulier, Laura Baquela, Louise Grinberg, Lucie Landrevie, Nassim Amrabt, Qifei Huang, Rabah Nait Oufella, Samantha Soupirot, Franck Keïta, Wei Huang; les profs [teachers], Anne Wallimann-Charpentier, Cécile Lagarde, Frédéric Faujas, Vincent Robert, Olivier Dupeyron, Patrick Dueruil, Dorothée Guilbot, Anne Langlois, Vincent Gaire, Yvette Mournetas; other staff members, Julie Athenol, Jean-Michel Simonet, Olivier Pasquier, Stéphane Longour, Abdoul Drahamane Sissoko, Aline Zimierski, Silma Aktar, Marie-Annette Sorrente.

DVD; Region 1; Dolby digital surround; anamorphic widescreen presentation, 2.35:1 aspect ratio.

MPAA rating: PG-13 for language.