La vie est un roman

Apr 20 1983 PG 1h 50m
Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

In this whimsical fable, Resnais deftly interweaves three story lines: the creation of an early-20th-century utopia; romantic high jinks at a school conference; and a fantasy sparked by F/X pioneer Georges Méliès.

Plot

Three intertwined tales. On the eve of the First World War, Count Forbek starts to build a fantastic castle in the Ardennes forest. After the war he uses it to start a utopian society by brainwashing his friends, including his former fiancee, Livia, and her husband. In the present day, the castle is being used as an alternative school and, in the summer holidays, for an educational conference. At the conference, the American Nora Winkle bets Claudine that the ernest public school teacher Elisabeth Rousseau will be enticed into the bed of Robert Dufresne, even though the principal speaker, Walter Guarini, is obviously interested in Elisabeth. Meanwhile, the children staying at the castle over the holidays invent their own medieval tale about freeing prisoners from the dungeons.

Written by

Jean Gruault

Directed by

Alain Resnais

Production Countries

France

Production Companies

Soprofilms, Fideline Films, Filmédis, Films A2, Les Films Ariane

Languages

Français

Awards

3 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
1,317
Average Rating
6.1 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA