Bolero: Dance of Life

1981 "The film is a musical epic and it is widely considered as the director's best work with Un Homme et une Femme."
7.3| 3h4m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 27 May 1981 Released
Producted By: Les Films 13
Country: France
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

The film follows four families, with different nationalities (French, German, Russian and American) but with the same passion for music, from the 1930s to the 1960s. The various story lines cross each other time and again in different places and times, with their own theme scores that evolve as time passes. The main event in the film is the Second World War, which throws the stories of the four musical families together and mixes their fates. Although all characters are fictional, many of them are loosely based on historical musical icons (Édith Piaf, Josephine Baker, Herbert von Karajan, Glenn Miller, Rudolf Nureyev, etc.) The Boléro dance sequence at the end brings all the threads together.

Genre

Drama, Music

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Director

Claude Lelouch

Production Companies

Les Films 13

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Bolero: Dance of Life Audience Reviews

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CommentsXp Best movie ever!
Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.
Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
maryclare53 Delighted to see this film again, which I first saw in 1981, in Paris. Most of it was as I remembered it , but one or two things were different. I realise it would not be everyone's choice, but the panorama of people, events and places is something I can luxuriate in. Still amazed that Geraldine Chaplin has such a smoky voice! Towards the end when characters appeared to be duplicated it was not always easy to follow - I speak good French, but even so, I think I would have benefited from a translation and some good subtitles. On the whole, though, the intricacies of the plot were revealed without difficulty and the insistent Bolero of Ravel drew it all together.
ericibe I may not remember everything, but this film has been on my mind since I saw it 23 years ago. I was in high school in a small town in Iowa. One of our band directors had a large collection of film on tape and laser disc. He would have movie parties for kids he taught. I showed an interest in film and he would screen some films I would have otherwise never have seen. I remember watching Bolero. (I do not think I knew it was known by any other name) I was in absolute awe of this film. The music, the story, the pacing - everything you couldn't get from popular American films.I have avoided seeing it again in the intervening time because I did not want my more grown up sensibilities to have a different opinion of the film. After reading some of the comments here I can feel safe to view it again.
landl-2 I am so excited that I have at last been able to access some information about this wonderful film. I saw it once in the early eighties in Canada and have been trying to find it in video/DVD stores here in Australia ever since I returned home in 1986! What I need to know is----is it in English? I can't remember if it was in French and sub-titled or what. Can someone please advise? I have tried to get it in our video stores but no-one has ever heard of it.When I saw it in Canada, it was called "Bolero-The Dance of Life". Do others remember it called that? I am not familiar with the title "uns et les autres,les", but that doesn't matter. I want it whatever it is called. Thanks Lee
Claudio Carvalho Along three generations, the lives of different families in Russia, France, Germany and United States of America, all of them connected to music and dance, are affected by the World War II. In Russia, the Bolshoi ballerina Tatiana Itovitch (Rita Poelvoorde) loses her husband, the musician Boris Itovitch (Jorge Donn), in the Russian front. She raises alone their son, the professional dancer Sergei (Jorge Donn), who escapes from Soviet Union and coming to have a daughter, the also ballerina Tania. In France, the Jewish violinist Anne Meyer (Nicole Garcia) marries the pianist Simon Meyer (Robert Hossein), and both are sent to a concentration camp, where Simon dies. On the train travel to the camp, Simon leaves their baby son on the trails and he is raised by a priest, becoming the lawyer Robert Prat (Robert Hossein), who has a professional singer son. Also in France, in Paris after the war, the singer Evelyne (Evelyne Bouix) is accused of sleeping with the enemy, and moves to Dijon, where she has a daughter, Edith (Evelyne Bouix). In Germany, the pianist and conductor Karl Kremer (Daniel Olbrychski) leaves his wife Magda Kremer (Macha Méril) and their son to fight in the war. In USA, the famous pop singer Jack Glenn (James Caan) leaves his wife Suzan Glenn (Geraldine Chaplin) to join the army and entertain the troops in London. Their gay son Jason Glenn (James Caan) and daughter, the singer Sara Glenn (Geraldine Chaplin) become important persons in the show business. Their lives are entwined in a Red Cross presentation of the Ravel's Bolero in Paris. "Les Uns et les Autres" is the masterpiece of Claude Lelouch and is one of my favorite movies ever. First time I saw it I was amazed with such a magnificent story. The direction, the story, the cast, the soundtrack, the location, everything works perfectly in this overwhelming film. The long scenes are fantastically well filmed and Claude Lelouch was certainly inspired when he made this wonder. Only a couple of months ago, this DVD was released in Brazil by the Brazilian distributor "Classicline" and yesterday I saw it again, for my delight after twenty and something years. The unknown Sharon Stone has a minor uncredited participation in the end of the movie, watching the show on TV in bed with Jack Glenn. "Les Uns et les Autres" is a highly recommended movie, for lovers of arts and cinema. My vote is ten.Title (Brazil): "Retratos da Vida" ("Pictures of the Life")Note: On 10 February 2014, I saw this wonderful movie again.