Boys who motivate the emotions and pluck the heartstrings of sympathy and empathy

Rating: 10/10 (29 September 2005)

I have seen the film in three distinctly different ways. The first two times were in Germany, where I first viewed it in French, which I do not understand very well, and then in German, which I understand a little bit better. The DVD I purchased did not feature subtitles, so all I could avail myself of was choice of language. This gave me an unusual opportunity to see what the film is able to convey without its dialog. I have since obtained an American copy, and watched the film in French with English subtitles. I was deeply moved. The music alone makes the film precious. The contrasting character of kindly adults (Clément Mathieu), unkind and uncaring adults (Rachin), good-intentioned adults (La Comtesse) and adults as victims (the older man who is injured by Le Querrec's prank), is well thought out and well brought out. Then there are the children, whose lifestyle and hopes and dreams are well conveyed in the music which Monsieur Mathieu teaches them to sing. It seems that all of the music was written by a 20th century French composer, with the exception of the Baroque composition, La Nuit, of Jean Philippe Rameau. I've read criticism that the boys seem to learn to sing overnight, but would people really like to see twenty minutes worth of really bad singing so that we can hear them going from bad to good? Each time I see the film it brings up a wellspring of emotion in me, with intense feelings of joy and sadness. I feel sorry for anyone who does not feel great emotion from viewing this film.