AbbĂ© Pierre â A Century of Devotion | |
---|---|
French | L'AbbĂ© Pierre â Une vie de combats |
Directed by | Frédéric Tellier |
Written by |
|
Produced by |
|
Starring | Benjamin Lavernhe |
Cinematography | Renaud Chassaing [1] |
Edited by | Valérie Deseine [1] |
Music by | Bryce Dessner |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | SND |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 138 minutes [2] |
Country | France |
Language | French |
Budget | âŹ15 million [3] |
Box office | $6.1 million [4] |
AbbĂ© Pierre â A Century of Devotion ( French: L'AbbĂ© Pierre â Une vie de combats) is a 2023 French biographical drama film based on the life of AbbĂ© Pierre, a Catholic priest and national hero in France who devoted his life to helping the poor, homeless people and refugees. Directed by FrĂ©dĂ©ric Tellier from a screenplay written by Tellier and Olivier Gorce, the film stars Benjamin Lavernhe as AbbĂ© Pierre. [3] [1]
The film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 26 May 2023.
The life of Henri GrouÚs, known as Abbé Pierre, from his time in the Resistance in WWII to his fights against poverty and for the homeless.
In January 2020, it was announced that SND Films and Wy Productions were preparing a film about the life of Abbé Pierre. [5] Frédéric Tellier was announced director, and co-writer of the script with Olivier Gorce. [6] The idea for the film was born from the desire of Wassim Béji and SND Films to tell the story of the priest's life. Béji explained, "Abbé Pierre had an incredible life and was a true rock star. To tell the story of this figure who traversed the 20th century is to tell our story". [7] The film was produced by Béji's WY Productions and by SND, in co-production with France 3 Cinéma. [8] [3]
In developing the screenplay, FrĂ©dĂ©ric Tellier researched extensively for about 3 years. He read books written by AbbĂ© Pierre or by his relatives and watched news footage as well as fictional portrayals of the subject, including Hiver 54, l'abbĂ© Pierre (1989) and Les Chiffonniers d'EmmaĂŒs (1955). He also spoke with individuals who knew the priest, such as Laurent Desmard, who worked in a high-ranking position at EmmaĂŒs and who was his private secretary. [7]
Filming began in December 2021, under the working title Les Onze Vies de l'AbbĂ© Pierre (The Eleven Lives of AbbĂ© Pierre). [9] It took place in Paris (Studios Ferber), [7] in the Ăle-de-France region ( Villeneuve-la-Garenne, [7] Boissy-sous-Saint-Yon) [10] and in the Auvergne-RhĂŽne-Alpes region, including Lyon, ChambĂ©ry (Savoie), Annecy (Haute-Savoie) and the Vercors (IsĂšre). [11] [12] In July 2022, a sequence was shot in Agon-Coutainville (Manche). [13]
Principal photography concluded in July 2022. [7]
The film was selected to be screened out of competition at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, [14] where it had its world premiere on 26 May 2023. [15]
The film was theatrically released in France by SND on 8 November 2023. [16]
AbbĂ© Pierre â A Century of Devotion received an average rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCinĂ©, based on 28 reviews. [17]
Reviewing the film following its Cannes premiere, Allan Hunter of Screen International praised the film's "handsomely crafted storytelling". [1]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CĂ©sar Awards | 23 February 2024 | Best Actor | Benjamin Lavernhe | Nominated |
[18] [19] |