The Jules Ferry laws are a set of French laws which established free education in 1881, then mandatory and laic (secular) education in 1882.(wikipedia). Religion was no longer taught in the schools but a day a week (Thursday ) was left to the parents who wanted their children to be religiously brought up;it was 1905 before France imposed the separation of the State and the Church and thus became the first laic country in Europa.
"Louise Violet " takes place circa 1887 -1889 : the audience has points of reference : they talk about the 1887 World Fair and a date on the blackboard reads "June 1889" .
These laws were an important date in French history, but some of the reasons stem from the defeat of 1870;it was because the Prussian soldiers were more educated than the French ones that they won the war; and "La Commune De Paris" (1871) which spawned the first revolutionary working-class movements was not far away and the government wanted the youth to be educated their way :the curriculum included , apart from reading,writing and arithmetic , (French ) history and geography ,military drill for the boys and housework for girls .Therefore,men taught boys and women girls,the schools were not mixed;it was 1933 before coeducation began ....
The principal was obviously inspired by Louise Michel (check the first name) ,a heroine of the Commune who was sent to a penal colony and when she was released,carried on with her work on behalf of the working-class ; thus she does not really represent the teachers of the era ,they called "les hussards de la République"(the Republic hussars);she's a socialist and she may seem rather naive ;on the other hand ,that she was first dismissed makes sense : the peasants needed their children at home, they were free labor force ,"slaves as soon as they're born " says the teacher who eventually realizes there's a strong solidarity between families ; the fight in the washing-place seems taken by force from Emile Zola 's "l'assommoir" though.
Unlike the first user, I think that Alexandra Lamy is quite good at her portrayal of an idealistic schoolteacher, coveted by the mayor who wants to marry her (and is her pupil too); the cast and credits which use the dictionary is a good idea .The screenplay is somewhat desultory at times but the cinematography is splendid indeed.
