A bare bones plot summary of Claude Berri´s "The Two of Us" (1967) will surely send your scurrying for cover. A young Jewish boy is sent to the countryside by his Parisian parents to wait out the war. He moves in with an older couple who turn out to be anti-Semites. Oh, the irony. Oh, the awkward fit. Oh, the whacky hijinks that will surely ensue "Three´s Company" style.
But Claude Berri doesn´t play the situation for irony, either comic or tragic. None of his characters serve as symbols or archetypes meant to "represent" French life during the German occupation. Instead the film is simply about a relationship between one very specific old man and one very specific young boy. Nothing more, and there´s the genius of it all.
Numerous films have been made about the German occupation of French, most about Resistance fighters ( "Army of Shadows"), some about collaborators ("Lacombe, Lucien"), but the fact that most French citizens were simply bystanders, doing their best to weather the storm in as much peace and comfort as they could achieve. Berri has made a film about them.
The boy is Claude Langmann (Alain Cohen), a young Jew whose parents frequently warn him of danger but in no specific turns. He knows nothing (as far as we can tell) about Nazi persecution of Jews, though when he is sent away he is told that his new last name is Longuet and that he should act as Catholic as possible. The old man is identified only as Grampa and is played by French super-icon Michel Simon ("Boudu Saved from Drowning", "L´atalante", etc.) and his ignorance actually dwarfs Claude´s. Grampa gets all his information from Nazi propaganda broadcasts; he worships Marshal Pétain and thinks all of France´s problems are caused by Jews, Bolsheviks, Freemasons, and the British. In this sense, Grampa is more of an equal opportunity bigot than just an anti-Semite, making him the ur-Archie Bunker.
Grampa may be a bigot, but he´s also got a heart of gold. He loves his dog (one might be tempted to draw an analogy to Hitler here, but that would be completely misguided) and only eats vegetables because he can´t tolerate cruelty to animals. He also adores his adoptive grandson, and spends virtually all of his free time entertaining his new charge. One of the neat inversions in the film is the fact that Grampa is vastly more childlike than serious-minded Claude who battles bullies at school and always has to make sure to hide his circumcised "birdie" even from Grandma at bath time.
Berri isn´t making any apologies for Grampa´s prejudice; his description of Jews (with big noses and ears) is stupid and offensive. But he´s also a gentle soul with a love of life and a rich sense of humor. For Berri, these aren´t just contradictory traits, but also part of the complexity that defines human nature. Grampa embodies Walt Whitman´s words: "Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes."
The threat of Nazi intrusion is always kept off-screen save for one moment in which Grampa sees a poster promising 40 dead Frenchman for every German soldier killed. Does he rethink his pro-Vichy stance as he reads these chilling words? If so, he doesn´t say. This is not a film about external or historical conflict, but simply a film about two people (well, three, but Grandma doesn´t get much screentime) passing time during an awful time. There´s hardly any internal conflict either, no crises which strain the love between Grampa and Claude. Neither a hand or a voice is ever raised towards the boy. The love is so genuine that Claude absorbs it, and Grampa´s personality, completely, to the point where he becomes frightened of being Jewish. Grampa soothes his troubled mind: "If you were Jewish, you wouldn´t be sleeping in my bed."
Though Michel Simon is one of the most famous French actors of all-time, "The Two of Us" represented a much needed comeback for him. He had an accident in 1957 involving an allergic reaction to contaminated make-up which left him partially paralyzed and generally unemployable for the next decade. By 1967, he was viewed as either too old or simply irrelevant to modern French cinema, but Berri´s film rejuvenated his career until his death in 1975. By contrast, "The Two of Us" was Alain Cohen´s first film credit, and he delivers one of the better performances by a child actor. Confident but never too enamored of himself to become an irritant, Cohen helps make Claude a realistic and complex young boy, alternately serious and playful, both blissfully ignorant and all-too-knowing. Cohen did not go to an extensive film acting career, but he would serve as Berri´s cinematic alter ego two more times in "Le cinéma de papa" (1970) and "La première fois" (1976).
The film was also the feature debut for Claude Berri, a late-comer to the Nouvelle Vague though he had already won an Oscar for his short film "Le Poulet" (1962). Berri´s career skyrocketed following his remarkable debut and he has continued to produce films all the way to the present day. Some of his highlights include "Jean de Florette" (1986), "Manon of the Spring" (1986), and "Uranus" (1990). "The Two of Us" is largely an autobiographical film based on Berri´s own experiencing hiding out during the war with a new family under an assumed name.
But Claude Berri doesn´t play the situation for irony, either comic or tragic. None of his characters serve as symbols or archetypes meant to "represent" French life during the German occupation. Instead the film is simply about a relationship between one very specific old man and one very specific young boy. Nothing more, and there´s the genius of it all.
Numerous films have been made about the German occupation of French, most about Resistance fighters ( "Army of Shadows"), some about collaborators ("Lacombe, Lucien"), but the fact that most French citizens were simply bystanders, doing their best to weather the storm in as much peace and comfort as they could achieve. Berri has made a film about them.
The boy is Claude Langmann (Alain Cohen), a young Jew whose parents frequently warn him of danger but in no specific turns. He knows nothing (as far as we can tell) about Nazi persecution of Jews, though when he is sent away he is told that his new last name is Longuet and that he should act as Catholic as possible. The old man is identified only as Grampa and is played by French super-icon Michel Simon ("Boudu Saved from Drowning", "L´atalante", etc.) and his ignorance actually dwarfs Claude´s. Grampa gets all his information from Nazi propaganda broadcasts; he worships Marshal Pétain and thinks all of France´s problems are caused by Jews, Bolsheviks, Freemasons, and the British. In this sense, Grampa is more of an equal opportunity bigot than just an anti-Semite, making him the ur-Archie Bunker.
Grampa may be a bigot, but he´s also got a heart of gold. He loves his dog (one might be tempted to draw an analogy to Hitler here, but that would be completely misguided) and only eats vegetables because he can´t tolerate cruelty to animals. He also adores his adoptive grandson, and spends virtually all of his free time entertaining his new charge. One of the neat inversions in the film is the fact that Grampa is vastly more childlike than serious-minded Claude who battles bullies at school and always has to make sure to hide his circumcised "birdie" even from Grandma at bath time.
Berri isn´t making any apologies for Grampa´s prejudice; his description of Jews (with big noses and ears) is stupid and offensive. But he´s also a gentle soul with a love of life and a rich sense of humor. For Berri, these aren´t just contradictory traits, but also part of the complexity that defines human nature. Grampa embodies Walt Whitman´s words: "Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes."
The threat of Nazi intrusion is always kept off-screen save for one moment in which Grampa sees a poster promising 40 dead Frenchman for every German soldier killed. Does he rethink his pro-Vichy stance as he reads these chilling words? If so, he doesn´t say. This is not a film about external or historical conflict, but simply a film about two people (well, three, but Grandma doesn´t get much screentime) passing time during an awful time. There´s hardly any internal conflict either, no crises which strain the love between Grampa and Claude. Neither a hand or a voice is ever raised towards the boy. The love is so genuine that Claude absorbs it, and Grampa´s personality, completely, to the point where he becomes frightened of being Jewish. Grampa soothes his troubled mind: "If you were Jewish, you wouldn´t be sleeping in my bed."
Though Michel Simon is one of the most famous French actors of all-time, "The Two of Us" represented a much needed comeback for him. He had an accident in 1957 involving an allergic reaction to contaminated make-up which left him partially paralyzed and generally unemployable for the next decade. By 1967, he was viewed as either too old or simply irrelevant to modern French cinema, but Berri´s film rejuvenated his career until his death in 1975. By contrast, "The Two of Us" was Alain Cohen´s first film credit, and he delivers one of the better performances by a child actor. Confident but never too enamored of himself to become an irritant, Cohen helps make Claude a realistic and complex young boy, alternately serious and playful, both blissfully ignorant and all-too-knowing. Cohen did not go to an extensive film acting career, but he would serve as Berri´s cinematic alter ego two more times in "Le cinéma de papa" (1970) and "La première fois" (1976).
The film was also the feature debut for Claude Berri, a late-comer to the Nouvelle Vague though he had already won an Oscar for his short film "Le Poulet" (1962). Berri´s career skyrocketed following his remarkable debut and he has continued to produce films all the way to the present day. Some of his highlights include "Jean de Florette" (1986), "Manon of the Spring" (1986), and "Uranus" (1990). "The Two of Us" is largely an autobiographical film based on Berri´s own experiencing hiding out during the war with a new family under an assumed name.
A bare bones plot summary of Claude Berri´s "The Two of Us" (1967) will surely send your scurrying for cover. A young Jewish boy is sent to the countryside by his Parisian parents to wait out the war. He moves in with an older couple who turn out to be anti-Semites. Oh, the irony. Oh, the awkward fit. Oh, the whacky hijinks that will surely ensue "Three´s Company" style.
But Claude Berri doesn´t play the situation for irony, either comic or tragic. None of his characters serve as symbols or archetypes meant to "represent" French life during the German occupation. Instead the film is simply about a relationship between one very specific old man and one very specific young boy. Nothing more, and there´s the genius of it all.
Numerous films have been made about the German occupation of French, most about Resistance fighters ( "Army of Shadows"), some about collaborators ("Lacombe, Lucien"), but the fact that most French citizens were simply bystanders, doing their best to weather the storm in as much peace and comfort as they could achieve. Berri has made a film about them.
The boy is Claude Langmann (Alain Cohen), a young Jew whose parents frequently warn him of danger but in no specific turns. He knows nothing (as far as we can tell) about Nazi persecution of Jews, though when he is sent away he is told that his new last name is Longuet and that he should act as Catholic as possible. The old man is identified only as Grampa and is played by French super-icon Michel Simon ("Boudu Saved from Drowning", "L´atalante", etc.) and his ignorance actually dwarfs Claude´s. Grampa gets all his information from Nazi propaganda broadcasts; he worships Marshal Pétain and thinks all of France´s problems are caused by Jews, Bolsheviks, Freemasons, and the British. In this sense, Grampa is more of an equal opportunity bigot than just an anti-Semite, making him the ur-Archie Bunker.
Grampa may be a bigot, but he´s also got a heart of gold. He loves his dog (one might be tempted to draw an analogy to Hitler here, but that would be completely misguided) and only eats vegetables because he can´t tolerate cruelty to animals. He also adores his adoptive grandson, and spends virtually all of his free time entertaining his new charge. One of the neat inversions in the film is the fact that Grampa is vastly more childlike than serious-minded Claude who battles bullies at school and always has to make sure to hide his circumcised "birdie" even from Grandma at bath time.
Berri isn´t making any apologies for Grampa´s prejudice; his description of Jews (with big noses and ears) is stupid and offensive. But he´s also a gentle soul with a love of life and a rich sense of humor. For Berri, these aren´t just contradictory traits, but also part of the complexity that defines human nature. Grampa embodies Walt Whitman´s words: "Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes."
The threat of Nazi intrusion is always kept off-screen save for one moment in which Grampa sees a poster promising 40 dead Frenchman for every German soldier killed. Does he rethink his pro-Vichy stance as he reads these chilling words? If so, he doesn´t say. This is not a film about external or historical conflict, but simply a film about two people (well, three, but Grandma doesn´t get much screentime) passing time during an awful time. There´s hardly any internal conflict either, no crises which strain the love between Grampa and Claude. Neither a hand or a voice is ever raised towards the boy. The love is so genuine that Claude absorbs it, and Grampa´s personality, completely, to the point where he becomes frightened of being Jewish. Grampa soothes his troubled mind: "If you were Jewish, you wouldn´t be sleeping in my bed."
Though Michel Simon is one of the most famous French actors of all-time, "The Two of Us" represented a much needed comeback for him. He had an accident in 1957 involving an allergic reaction to contaminated make-up which left him partially paralyzed and generally unemployable for the next decade. By 1967, he was viewed as either too old or simply irrelevant to modern French cinema, but Berri´s film rejuvenated his career until his death in 1975. By contrast, "The Two of Us" was Alain Cohen´s first film credit, and he delivers one of the better performances by a child actor. Confident but never too enamored of himself to become an irritant, Cohen helps make Claude a realistic and complex young boy, alternately serious and playful, both blissfully ignorant and all-too-knowing. Cohen did not go to an extensive film acting career, but he would serve as Berri´s cinematic alter ego two more times in "Le cinéma de papa" (1970) and "La première fois" (1976).
The film was also the feature debut for Claude Berri, a late-comer to the Nouvelle Vague though he had already won an Oscar for his short film "Le Poulet" (1962). Berri´s career skyrocketed following his remarkable debut and he has continued to produce films all the way to the present day. Some of his highlights include "Jean de Florette" (1986), "Manon of the Spring" (1986), and "Uranus" (1990). "The Two of Us" is largely an autobiographical film based on Berri´s own experiencing hiding out during the war with a new family under an assumed name.
But Claude Berri doesn´t play the situation for irony, either comic or tragic. None of his characters serve as symbols or archetypes meant to "represent" French life during the German occupation. Instead the film is simply about a relationship between one very specific old man and one very specific young boy. Nothing more, and there´s the genius of it all.
Numerous films have been made about the German occupation of French, most about Resistance fighters ( "Army of Shadows"), some about collaborators ("Lacombe, Lucien"), but the fact that most French citizens were simply bystanders, doing their best to weather the storm in as much peace and comfort as they could achieve. Berri has made a film about them.
The boy is Claude Langmann (Alain Cohen), a young Jew whose parents frequently warn him of danger but in no specific turns. He knows nothing (as far as we can tell) about Nazi persecution of Jews, though when he is sent away he is told that his new last name is Longuet and that he should act as Catholic as possible. The old man is identified only as Grampa and is played by French super-icon Michel Simon ("Boudu Saved from Drowning", "L´atalante", etc.) and his ignorance actually dwarfs Claude´s. Grampa gets all his information from Nazi propaganda broadcasts; he worships Marshal Pétain and thinks all of France´s problems are caused by Jews, Bolsheviks, Freemasons, and the British. In this sense, Grampa is more of an equal opportunity bigot than just an anti-Semite, making him the ur-Archie Bunker.
Grampa may be a bigot, but he´s also got a heart of gold. He loves his dog (one might be tempted to draw an analogy to Hitler here, but that would be completely misguided) and only eats vegetables because he can´t tolerate cruelty to animals. He also adores his adoptive grandson, and spends virtually all of his free time entertaining his new charge. One of the neat inversions in the film is the fact that Grampa is vastly more childlike than serious-minded Claude who battles bullies at school and always has to make sure to hide his circumcised "birdie" even from Grandma at bath time.
Berri isn´t making any apologies for Grampa´s prejudice; his description of Jews (with big noses and ears) is stupid and offensive. But he´s also a gentle soul with a love of life and a rich sense of humor. For Berri, these aren´t just contradictory traits, but also part of the complexity that defines human nature. Grampa embodies Walt Whitman´s words: "Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes."
The threat of Nazi intrusion is always kept off-screen save for one moment in which Grampa sees a poster promising 40 dead Frenchman for every German soldier killed. Does he rethink his pro-Vichy stance as he reads these chilling words? If so, he doesn´t say. This is not a film about external or historical conflict, but simply a film about two people (well, three, but Grandma doesn´t get much screentime) passing time during an awful time. There´s hardly any internal conflict either, no crises which strain the love between Grampa and Claude. Neither a hand or a voice is ever raised towards the boy. The love is so genuine that Claude absorbs it, and Grampa´s personality, completely, to the point where he becomes frightened of being Jewish. Grampa soothes his troubled mind: "If you were Jewish, you wouldn´t be sleeping in my bed."
Though Michel Simon is one of the most famous French actors of all-time, "The Two of Us" represented a much needed comeback for him. He had an accident in 1957 involving an allergic reaction to contaminated make-up which left him partially paralyzed and generally unemployable for the next decade. By 1967, he was viewed as either too old or simply irrelevant to modern French cinema, but Berri´s film rejuvenated his career until his death in 1975. By contrast, "The Two of Us" was Alain Cohen´s first film credit, and he delivers one of the better performances by a child actor. Confident but never too enamored of himself to become an irritant, Cohen helps make Claude a realistic and complex young boy, alternately serious and playful, both blissfully ignorant and all-too-knowing. Cohen did not go to an extensive film acting career, but he would serve as Berri´s cinematic alter ego two more times in "Le cinéma de papa" (1970) and "La première fois" (1976).
The film was also the feature debut for Claude Berri, a late-comer to the Nouvelle Vague though he had already won an Oscar for his short film "Le Poulet" (1962). Berri´s career skyrocketed following his remarkable debut and he has continued to produce films all the way to the present day. Some of his highlights include "Jean de Florette" (1986), "Manon of the Spring" (1986), and "Uranus" (1990). "The Two of Us" is largely an autobiographical film based on Berri´s own experiencing hiding out during the war with a new family under an assumed name.
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