With the advent of winter, the temperature gradually drops, making people more and more lazy to move. Fortunately, the movies on the theaters have gradually become more and more popular. Under the cold weather, what better entertainment is there than watching movies?
In addition to "The Fall", "Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween", "One Piece: The Red-haired Diva" and other foreign films that came out this year and entered the theaters one after another, in 2004, the French film "Spring of the Cow Herding Class" ( Les choristes) was also re-screened in a 4K restoration. Faced with the theater schedule, audiences who have no way to start will definitely not be disappointed when they choose this classic work; of course, there should be many audiences who want to revisit it and go straight to the theater.
"The Spring of the Cow Herding Class" 4K Restoration Poster
The story of "The Spring of the Cow Herding Class" took place in 1949. The middle-aged single Clement Mathieu (played by Gérard Junior) came to a boarding school called "The Bottom of the Pond" as a Superintendent. The special thing about this school is that it caters for stubborn boys, somewhat like our work-study schools. As soon as Mr. Clement arrived at the school, he was disowned by the authoritarian and strict principal, the students who liked pranks, and his colleagues who had no hope for everything. While feeling a little discouraged, Clement wasn't entirely intimidated by the dire circumstances. The kind-hearted man tried his best to cover for the children in front of the principal. Because he accidentally discovered that everyone likes to sing, he organized the group of children who only knew how to play around all day long into a choir, and discovered the skinny boy who is extremely talented in music. At the same time, he also has a good impression of Pierre's mother. Gradually, the children fell in love with singing and fell in love with Clement, and the colleagues gradually joined him in the same camp. However, Clement's emotional path and career path did not go smoothly.
"The Spring of the Cow Herding Class" has no grand narrative background, no profound and mysterious central idea, and no unique artistic expression techniques used. The film won the audience's hearts purely by carefully showing the true relationship between a teacher and a student. It was not only the box office champion of French local movies in 2004, but also hit shows in countries around the world including China, and was shortlisted for the Best Foreign Language Film Award at the 77th Academy Awards (finally lost to the Spanish film "Deep Sea Sleep") . Its success has once again proved that well-told stories and works that can truly touch people's hearts will always win the love of the broadest audience.
However, what really matters is not why you choose this career, but how you do it after you choose. The background of "The Spring of the Cattle Herding Class" is France, which is still in the reconstruction stage after the "World War II". At that time, the career choices in society were already very limited, and survival was far more imminent than dreams. Therefore, there are principals like Hasen who not only don't care about the well-being of the students, but also use the harsh methods of beating, scolding and abuse to use the students as tools to vent their frustration and anger in life.
Clement took a very different attitude towards students. When he found Le Guerrec who had injured the janitor, he didn't scold him, but asked him to accompany him; when he saw Pierre drawing caricatures that vilified him on the blackboard, he also took Pierre as an excuse. Model, drew an even uglier caricature; when he heard Corbin compose a song mocking his baldness, not only did he not get angry, but he corrected his out-of-pitch, and sang by himself... For this group of students who were labeled as "bad boys", Clement did not hold prejudices, adopted a high-handed policy like the principal, and did not deal with it like his colleagues, but regarded them as equals to himself It is finally proved that teaching by precept and deed is the most effective means of education.
As for aesthetic education, it is reflected in the film that Clement excavated the students' natural nature of advocating art through chorus, and then allowed each of them to find their true value. In the choir, some people act as the tenor, some act as the alto, some act as the bass, and some act as the soloist. Those who can't sing can be the assistant conductor, and those who are incomplete can take the music score. In short, everyone has their own place, everyone is a unique existence, and they were able to completely tear up the common label of "bad student".
What is even more commendable is that, apart from taking good care of the orphan Pepino, Clemente treats the students equally. Even if Pierre has a natural voice, even if he likes Pierre's mother, he doesn't give him special treatment, but silently writes a letter of recommendation to the conservatory, and Pierre has to follow Clement's instructions if he makes a mistake. way to accept punishment.
"The Spring of the Cow Herding Class" has no deliberately sensational scenes from the beginning to the end. Even in the epilogue of Clement being kicked out of the school for protecting the students, his exclamation has the cruelty of reality: "At that moment, I was full of happiness and optimism. I want to shout to the world, But who can hear it? No one knows who I am. Great artists see their true selves in the mirror. I am Clement Mathew, an unsuccessful musician, an unsuccessful student Supervisor."
Indeed, there are thousands of teachers like Clement in this world. They are the most ordinary heroes, unknown and easily forgotten. Just like the beginning of the film, Pierre, who has become a world-renowned conductor, can't even remember the name of his music teacher. This is the fate of those who choose the profession of teachers, and their greatness often becomes "the secret of their own."
"The Spring of the Cattle Herding Class" is the feature film debut of director Christopher Bahati. What makes him luckier than others is that he has an uncle named "Jacques Perhan". With a background in classical music, he followed Jacques Berhan at a young age and participated in the production of films such as "Himalaya", "Microcosmos" and "Migrating Birds". And when Bahati chose to become the director, Jacques Behan not only served as the producer of "The Spring of the Cattle Class", but also guest starred in the role of the adult Pierre. Not only that, Jacques Behan's youngest son, Maxance Behan, also played the role of Pepino, who I still pitied.
Jacques Behan guest starred in the film as the adult Pierre
Jacques Behan's youngest son, Maxence Behan, plays the orphan Pepino in the film.
With the story of Mr. Clement, "The Spring of the Cow Herding Class" also promoted the music form of children's chorus to the world, and the original soundtrack sold more than 2 million copies. The music of the film was performed by Bruno Coules, Jacques Berhan's old partner. He cooperated with the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra and performed wonderfully with the French St. Mark's Children's Choir, bringing the audience into a world of innocence and purity. Jean-Baptiste Meunier, who plays Pierre, was the leader of the St. Mark's Boys' Choir and became a singer and actor as an adult.
It is worth mentioning that after "The Spring of the Cow Herding Class" hit the theaters, the French St. Mark's Children's Choir has toured my country many times. It is often hard to find a ticket in various cities and is popular with audiences of all ages. Of course, it is not difficult to understand, who does not want to listen to the sounds of nature? And this also makes the re-screening of "The Spring of the Cow Herding Class" particularly worth the ticket price.
