Wikipedia

Valiant Hearts (film)

Valiant Hearts (French: Cœurs vaillants) is a 2021 World War II drama film written and directed by Mona Achache from a screenplay she co-wrote with Christophe Offenstein, Jean Cottin, Anne Berest, and Valérie Zenatti, starring Camille Cottin.[6] The film is a co-production between France and Belgium and it is based on the real-life story of Achache's grandmother, Suzanne Achache–Wiznitzer, who was a Jewish child placed in foster care during World War II to escape the Holocaust. The film made its world premiere at the War On Screen Film Festival on 1 October 2021. It was released theatrically in France by BAC Films on 11 May 2022.

Valiant Hearts
Theatrical release poster
FrenchCœurs vaillants
Directed byMona Achache
Written by
Produced byJean Cottin[1]
StarringCamille Cottin
CinematographyIsarr Eiriksson[1]
Edited byBeatrice Herminie[1]
Music byBenoit Rault[1]
Production
companies
  • Les Films du Cap[1]
  • Orson Films[1]
  • Scope Pictures[1]
Distributed byBAC Films[1]
Release dates
  • 1 October 2021 (2021-10-01) (War On Screen)[2]
  • 11 May 2022 (2022-05-11) (France)[3]
Running time
85 minutes[1]
Countries
LanguageFrench[1]
Budget€3,7 million[4][5]

Plot

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In 1942 during World War II, six Jewish children are hidden by the French Resistance in the Chambord Castle to escape the Holocaust.

Cast

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  • Camille Cottin as Rose
  • Maé Roudet Rubens as Hannah
  • Léo Riehl as Jacques
  • Ferdinand Redouloux as Josef
  • Lila-Rose Gilberti as Clara
  • Asia Suissa-Fuller as Henriette
  • Luka Haggège as Léon
  • Félix Nicolas as Paul
  • Swann Arlaud as the curator
  • Anne-Lise Heimburger as German officer
  • Patrick d'Assumçao as the priest
  • Franck Beckmann as the gamekeeper

Production

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Development

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The film is based on the real-life story of director Mona Achache's paternal grandmother, Suzanne Achache–Wiznitzer,[7] who was a Jewish child placed in foster care during World War II to escape the Holocaust.[8][9][10]

The original title, Cœurs vaillants, refers to the French Catholic magazine for children that the hidden children discover in the film.[9]

The character Rose, portrayed by Camille Cottin, was inspired by Rose Valand, a conservator at Paris's Jeu de Paume Museum and a member of the French Resistance who spied and documented artworks stolen by Nazi officers.[11]

The film is a co-production between France's Les Films du Cap and Orson Films, and Belgium's Scope Pictures[11][3] It was pre-purchased by the French pay-per-view television channels Canal and Ciné in 2020.[11] Bac Films purchased the film for theatrical release in France.[11] International sales were handled by Other Angle Pictures.[11]

Filming

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Filming was postponed by a few weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] Principal photography began on 29 July 2020 and wrapped on 15 September 2020.[11] Filming took place in the commune of Chambord, Loir-et-Cher in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France,[13] and at the Chambord Castle.[14] The shooting followed a strict COVID-19 safety protocol monitored by a COVID reference nurse, and everyone except the actors were using masks on set.[13] The regulations required the children 26 days of filming for them to complete their back-to-school week, so the crew took a week's break.[12]

After shooting at the Chambord Castle for 9 days, the cast and crew then moved to a forest near the Butte de Vienne where filming took place for 18 days.[12] The film's production built a cabin in the forest that should be preserved by Chambord.[12]

Soundtrack

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On 2 May 2022, Cocotte & Les Films du Cap released the album with the film's official soundtrack composed by Benoit Rault for HiTnRuN.[15][unreliable source?]

Cœurs Vaillants un film de Mona Achache (Bande originale du film)
Soundtrack album by
Benoit Rault for HiTnRuN
Released2 May 2022
GenreFilm soundtrack
Length26:08
LabelCocotte & Les Films du Cap

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Benoit Rault.

Cœurs Vaillants un film de Mona Achache (Bande originale du film)
No.TitleLength
1."Les passagers"03:44
2."La traversée"03:30
3."A Suzanne"02:18
4."Grande"00:40
5."La fuite de Clara"03:01
6."Immensité"03:12
7."Héros toujours"02:52
8."La cabane"02:01
9."Illuminé"02:24
10."Un totem à Juneau"01:42
11."Les passagers 2"02:44
Total length:26:08

Release

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The film made its world premiere at the War On Screen Film Festival in Mourmelon-le-Grand, France on 1 October 2021.[2] It was released theatrically in France by BAC Films on 11 May 2022.[3]

Reception

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Critical response

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AlloCiné, a French cinema site, gave the film an average rating of 2.7/5, based on a survey of 9 French reviews.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Valiant Hearts de Mona Achache (2021)". Unifrance. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b Roussel, Mathieu (28 September 2021). "Une projection de cinéma en avant-première à Mourmelon dans le cadre de War On Screen". Journal L'Union (in French). Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Vaillant Hearts". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Cœurs vaillants | Valiant Hearts (Titre international)". Crew United. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Dispatch MG Chart Cannes by ecrantotal". Infogram. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  6. ^ Bommelaer, Claire (10 May 2022). "Notre critique de Cœurs vaillants: la guerre à hauteur d'enfance". Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Marillenknödel, a recipe by Mamé, a film by Mona Achache". Grandmas Project. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  8. ^ "L'invité - Mona Achache". TV5Monde (in French). 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  9. ^ a b Tremblay, Odile (20 May 2022). ""Coeurs vaillants", les enfants cachés sous l'Occupation". Le Devoir (in French).
  10. ^ "Cinéma : "Cœurs vaillants", un film de Mona Achache, au cinéma le 11 mai". France Télévisions (in French). 5 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 October 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Lemercier, Fabien (14 August 2020). "Mona Achache is shooting Cœurs vaillants". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d "Clap de fin à Chambord pour le film "Coeurs vaillants"". La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). 21 September 2020.
  13. ^ a b "VIDEO. A Chambord, le tournage du film "Coeurs vaillants" s'adapte à la crise sanitaire". La Nouvelle République du Centre-Ouest (in French). 1 August 2020.
  14. ^ "Domaine national de Chambord | Rapport d'activités 2020" (PDF). Chambord Castle (in French). pp. 45, 51, 92. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  15. ^ "'Valiant Hearts' Soundtrack Released". Film Music Reporter. 18 May 2022. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Critiques presse pour le film Cœurs vaillants". AlloCiné (in French). Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
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