Le Havre

Jean-Pierre Darroussin as Monet

What a terrific cast of characters!  Each one seemed to have a well-rounded personality and back-story. And you were told just enough to put the character in context without it being a distraction.  The grocer, baker, inn-keeper, policeman, illegal immigrant and  who could forget Little Bob and his amour? Even the anonymous bar-flies seemed to be an integral part of the story.

Did you recognise the policeman? I knew I'd seen him somewhere recently so looked him up today. He was M. Mazel the father of the boyfriend in The Well-Digger's Daughter - the film which opened our season on October the 2nd.

Several people commented on the story which was said to be unrealistic but that didn't bother me. If plausibility was a prerequisite for a good movie, there wouldn't be any. Now consistency is a different matter – you can't say one thing in the first 10 minutes and contradict it later on. If the flic had  betrayed the boy in the scene on the boat I would have felt cheated. And, yes, of course Arletty's recovery was miraculous - who said movies have to be the same as real life?

The feedbacks were good. Overall audience rating at 81% puts it mid-table approaching the Christmas break.

Here's what our audience had to say about it:

B	Fairytale but many layers. Enjoyed very much. Suspended disbelief.
A	Full of older people like us who still have time for adventure and kindness and rock 'n' roll. There's hope for the lot of us.
C	Some very implausible moments in a rather uneven film.
B	A heart-warming, gritty fairy story.
B	Very French. Wonderful characters. Good story.
B	I really enjoyed this film.
A	The ultimate feel good movie.
C
A	A lovely sensitive film about kindness and redemption
A	Very enjoyable.
A	Thought provoking.
A	Lovely film – good to have a happy ending.
B	Lovely film. The ending, though very happy, seemed a bit unlikely.
A	Beautiful! I wanted to applaud.
B	Great homage to French cinema? Endearing and intriguing storyline with humour and realistic characters.
C	Sweet story – if rather contrived.
C	Rather bitty – didn't seem to flow with the story. Felt a bit contrived – but at least a happy ending!!
C	Good it was in French..
D
B	Enjoyed it.
A	A good old-fashioned film like my father would have enjoyed in the 1950s.
B	Enjoyed the film. Good to see a film featuring older people who hadn't lost their dignity in spite of living in poverty.
B	Charming but unrealistic.
B	interesting take on illegal immigration. Understated directing and emotional expression.
?	Loved the characterful faces, old French chanson, humour, touching story but didn't understand the end. Was Arletty dead but he imagined she was alive? Her yellow dress was still on the bed!
B	Could not be done by a British director. Understated French story – gentle with a happy ending.
B	Touching evocation of Le Havre demi-monde. Willing, if temporary, suspension of disbelief. Soft-hearted cop? Miracle cure? But enjoyable nonetheless.
B	Interesting and intelligent film with a special mix of humour and sadness. Reminiscent of Les Miserables.
B	Warming story when ordinary people help one another in adversity. There is hope for humanity.
B	A charming story, somewhat improbable, but well acted and heart warming.
B	There is a God in France, and He does reward good!
B	Strange, intriguing, thought provoking, memorable, essentially positive. I'm glad we came.
A	A beautiful film illustrating human kindness at its best.

On-line reviews:

Peter Bradshaw  in The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/apr/05/le-havre-review


An interview with the director in The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/apr/04/aki-kaurismaki-le-havre-interview


Philip French in the Observer said it was an “homage to French cinema”:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/apr/08/le-havre-aki-kaurismaki-review


IMDB users gave it 7.2 out of 10:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1508675/


Rotten Tomatoes audience rating 74%:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/le_havre_2011/