La fortuna de vivir

A little French gem that wraps you up in the lives of a group of friends in the 1920´s in France. Wonderfully acted and superbly directed, the story meanders gently through a number of seasons tracing their friendship and "amours", interlacing the finely drawn characters and sub-plots with consummate skill. At no time does the story flag, or become convoluted and the ending is simple and uncontrived. The photography is superb and reminiscent of "Manon des Sources"; Eric Cantona is surprisingly good as a champion boxer and even enlarges on his 1996 Selhurst Park performance. You will emerge from this extraordinary film edified and enriched and thanking the heavens that Hollywood isn´t the only place that makes films.

Les Enfants Du Marais is a wonderful tale not only on account of its evocative imagery, atmospheric scenery and the fact that it is populated by genuine characters you know, once knew, or would like to know - it is a welcome and straight-forward reminder of what is important in life. Friendship and love and the simple but ever compelling pleasure found in physical work and play with a purpose; these are the scenarios in which true happiness is enjoyed to its fullest extent. It's not about tree-hugging, sandal-wearing save-the-world ideas but about true freedom -and what we choose to do with it. We get to witness the futility and sad contrivance of pomp and pride but also the power of change and a spot of kindness. Always without judgement yet never without feeling. This movie is not downright sentimental or nostalgic; it just happens to be good in what might be called an old-fashioned way, and it serves up some great laughs along the way. Above all, this is a movie for movie lovers with their hearts and minds in the right place.

This movie, in Norway titled "Summer in the Loire valley", is most likely the best one Eric Cantona ever starred in and he does a good job as the disgraced boxer Jo Sardi looking for revenge in the Loire valley. What really makes this film a treat is the beautiful landscapes, excellent photography and also the splendid performances by Cantona and others. It also has a good story which is interesting to follow. This is a heartwarming movie to enjoy on any night.

It is almost worth a 10, but I give it a 9 because the story is not engaging enough. This was obviously a film that was made for a wide audience and therefore has a lighter tone. Still, it is nonetheless a very good film which gives us Cantona at his best. And that is a reason enough to watch it.

About once or twice a year I see a movie like this - most often, alas, from France or Italy - that makes me seriously wonder how, in this age of popcorn,slasher, and technology movies anyone gets the finance to make decent, honest, feelgood fare with little or no sex, violence, scatology just REAL people who look real and not like Actors ACTING, who just meander gently through life and celebrate 'old fashioned' values in lives punctuated by minor moments. This is just such a gem and it would be churlish to single out any of the fine actors involved, even Eric Cantona - presumably there to help financing - acquits himself passably in the little non-acting that is required of him. A film like this reminds you that yes, Nostalgia IS what it used to be. 10/10

This is a movie I would recomend for a boring sunday afternoon when you're feeling a bit blue and you're trying to evade thoughts of the outside world.

The scenery is beautiful and the word that comes to mind when I think of the message of the movie is - compassion. It's a low key story about fríendship and it really brightened my boring sunday afternoon.