Die Kinder des Monsieur Mathieu

The locale for this French sub-titled film is a locked fortress-like school for poor boys from broken homes, WWII orphans and juvenile delinquents, very Dickensian in feel. The principal of the school,is a detestable man who abuses students and teachers equally. You've seen the plot before, of course, and some of the characters are "stock" sorts. But the acting of the lead, the teacher who "saves" the students by luring them into singing, is portrayed charmingly by Gerard Jugnot. Mostly bald, a bit stocky and no beauty, he is nonetheless disarming. The boy soprano, Jean-Baptiste Maunier, has a wonderful voice, and the chorus is splendid. Particularly fine was the score, almost entirely original, by Bruno Colais. I was looking for something inspiring on this bitter cold inaugural day in the U.S. Les Choristes made my spirit soar and reaffirmed that kindness, generosity of self and the gift of music still have the power to change people's lives.

Two Continental European films with campus setting are on show right now in town: Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar's "La mala educación" and French director Christophe Barratier's "Les choristes". However, the former deals with the devil which is pretty disturbing while the latter the angels that touches the viewers' heart and soul. It blows in new fresh air into the cinema world.

People may associate the film with the 1945 production "La cage aux rossignols". Yet, "Au revoir les enfants", "La gloire de mon père", "Le château de ma mere", "Nuovo cinema Paradiso" and the literature namely "Le Petit Chose" by Alphonse Daudet and the hugely popular series of René Goscinny's "Le Petit Nicolas" were rushing into my head when the film rolled on. They all share a number of common features: younger carefree days, reminiscence, scenic countryside, pastoral living etc, they are all ingredients of French fresh (salad) movie, warm, humane and unforgettable. The genre is perpetually popular and it is ever-lasting. Strangely the subject matter though is related to "To Sir, with Love", "Mr. Holland's Opus", they didn't come up to my mind immediately.

French people are capable of producing movies or books with nostalgic ideas, the power again captures the world's heart. A country with long history or brilliant history provides much space for artists, France is one of them. Perhaps the French have no incentive to push forward like the Brits or Americans or they are pessimistic about the future or they lack funds, many the French artists (of various art form) keep looking into history for inspiration. Many French global blockbusters are filmed in nostalgic background setting, "Amélie" is the one in the 50s or early 60s. Cruelly truthful is if we compare the development (in most areas) of the developed nations on the west and east Atlantic coasts, the UK and the USA are exactly more advanced.

Pierre, Pépinot, Le Querrec, spectacled Boniface and all the other children form not only a choir but an angelic choir. The boys' angelic voices has resounded inside my head for pretty long time. The angels rekindle Clément Mathieu's abandoned hope on music and hope again falls onto these young souls. On top of it, he is the unsung hero on the making of the world famous conductor Pierre Morhange. Mondain, apparently sexually harassed, is not a incurable boy but a boy in his quest for love. Mathieu wants to carry out his "experiment" on him. And the young boy knows the class tutor is a kind and reasonable teacher. His smile to Mathieu before he is pulled away by the police tells it all.

Mathieu believes in moral education (or educating children in love) which is entirely different from iron-handed Rachin's hard-line pedagogical conviction and administration. Should time be given, Mondain would find his way out from the excruciating self-destruction. Just a side thought: Hong Kong educators should have more thought on dealing with "problem students", from time to time what these young people need is a tender light guiding them onto a path which they can have satisfaction and security. Well, we are somehow regressing now.

As a public school choir director I was thrilled to see a movie that celebrated the joy of singing. At the end of the semester I ran "The Chorus" for all of my students and the response was astounding. A French film with subtitles that kept the rehearsal room totally silent for two days of classes. Fantastic.

I sincerely hope this fine film is given an honest opportunity to succeed in the U.S. We don't need a Disney remake in English with updated pop songs. This charming import is the real deal.

As a teacher I always trust the sometimes brutal honesty that high school students express about films and music. My experience this semester has been that "The Chorus" is a winner.

If you like this movie recommend it to others as it deserves to find its audience.

Spoilers

Taking France by storm this summer, Les choristes purportedly led to a surge in applications to join choirs all over the country. The magic is unquestionably in the music, but I'll come to that later.

The success of Les choristes as a film (with or without the divine music) lies in its not trying to be anything more than what it is, a simple tale that opens up to you instead of manipulating you. You'll find neither heart-breaking poignancy nor rousing heroism. Within the short duration of a school term or two he spent with the somewhat notorious boarding school, teacher and musician Clement Mathieu had his modest ambition fulfilled, of having a choir sing the music he wrote, then moved along to a continuously modest life of teaching and music. Talented protégé Pierre Morhange did achieve fame and success, but we have essentially been spared laboured scenes of Titanic struggles or exuberant jubilation. To ensure that I'm not misleading towards the other extreme, let me hasten to add that Les choristes does touch our hearts. It does this gently, sensibly.

But in the end, it's the music. Purely the celestial beauty of the music alone will brings tears to the appreciative audiences' eyes. The story is touching. The character are likable. But the ultimate magic is the choir and boy soprano Jean-Baptiste Maunier chosen from two thousand auditions. Such a magical choice.

By getting nominated for Academy Awards in both the Foreign Language Film and Best Song categories, Les Choristes (The Chorus) made a rare (for a European film) double impression at the 2004 Oscars. This sentimental tale follows the arrival of a new teacher at a remote boys school in 1949 France (the war is a largely unspoken but ghostly presence). With disciplinary problems rampant, and the policies of the old-fashioned headmaster not helping, Monsieur Mathieu decides to introduce choral singing as a way to bridge the gap with his students. You don't need a crystal ball to figure out where this will go, although the movie uses its atmospheric location and lush vocal arrangements well. Bald, dumpy Gerard Jugnot provides a refreshingly offbeat hero (though securely in the traditions of the My Most Memorable Teacher movie); he's sort of a younger Philippe Noiret. Director Christophe Barratier works in the winsome-cute mode that makes a certain kind of French movie into an overly sweet Bone Bone, although at least this Bone Bone sings.