Valiant Hearts (film)
2021 film by Mona Achache
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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.
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- Mona Achache[1]
- Christophe Offenstein[1]
- Jean Cottin[1]
- Anne Berest[1]
- Valérie Zenatti[1]
| Valiant Hearts | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Cœurs vaillants |
| Directed by | Mona Achache |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Jean Cottin[1] |
| Starring | Camille Cottin |
| Cinematography | Isarr Eiriksson[1] |
| Edited by | Beatrice Herminie[1] |
| Music by | Benoit Rault[1] |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | BAC Films[1] |
Release dates | |
Running time | 85 minutes[1] |
| Countries | |
| Language | French[1] |
| Budget | €3,7 million[4][5] |
Plot
In 1942 during World War II, six Jewish children are hidden by the French Resistance in the Chambord Castle to escape the Holocaust.
Cast
- 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
Development
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
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
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 | |
| Released | 2 May 2022 |
| Genre | Film soundtrack |
| Length | 26:08 |
| Labels | Cocotte & Les Films du Cap |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Benoit Rault.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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
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]
