A Bag of Marbles (1975 film)

A Bag of Marbles
Film poster
FrenchUn sac de billes
Directed byJacques Doillon
Written byJacques Doillon, Denis Ferraris, after the novel
CinematographyYves Lafaye
Edited byNoëlle Boisson
Music byPhilippe Sarde
Production
companies
AMLF, Les Films Christian Fechner, Renn Productions
Release date
  • 10 December 1975 (1975-12-10)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

A Bag of Marbles (French: Un sac de billes) is a 1975 French film based on the 1973 autobiographical novel Un sac de billes by Joseph Joffo.[1] Doillon made use of mainly non-professional actors, as also in his next film with children, La Drôlesse (1979).

Among the non-professional actors, the father - who is captured and sent to Auschwitz - is played by Jo Goldenberg, owner of the famous deli at 7, Rue des Rosiers in Paris's Jewish district, which 7 years after the film was the site of the Chez Jo Goldenberg restaurant attack.

Cast

  • Richard Constantini : young Joseph
  • Paul-Eric Shulmann : young Maurice
  • Joseph Goldenberg : their father
  • Reine Bartève : their mother
  • Hubert Drac : Henri
  • Gilles Laurent : Albert
  • Michel Robin : Mancelier
  • Dominique Ducros : Françoise
  • Stephan Meldegg : sous-officier salon de coiffure
  • Axel Ganz : officier salon de coiffure
  • Pierre Forget : the teacher
  • Marc Eyraud : priest on train
  • Hélène Calzarelli : young girl on train
  • Yves Wecker : Raymond, le passeur
  • Bernadette Le Saché : la réfugiée
  • Antonino Faa Di Bruno : le vieux beau
  • Antoine Neri : l'Italien de la bargue
  • Max Vialle : le concierge
  • Dominique Besnehard : le moniteur
  • Alain Peysson : Ferdinand
  • Hans Verner : l'officier allemand
  • Dieter Schidor

References

  1. ^ Annette Insdorf, Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust, 2003, ISBN 0521016304, p. 370: "A Bag of Marbles (Un sac de billes, 1975), on the other hand, is the story of two Jewish children who must move from Paris to southern France. Directed by Jacques Doillon, it is really the story of Joseph (Richard Constantini), tracing his development from incapacitating fear to first love and courageous action."