When you watch a television series or a film about an area of experience of which you have some knowledge (i.e. your profession) they are so often cringingly off-target. This was true of the TV series "
Teachers", even though it was quite good entertainment. I am sure lawyers would have felt the same about "
This Life” and "
North Square” which I also enjoyed. However, the French film
Entre les Murs (
The Class), which won the
Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, portrayed so many of the situations that Wendy and I have experienced as teachers and have discussed during our professional careers.
In the film teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighbourhood. I know that I (and probably Wendy too) would not have had to cope with the conditions that a teacher in the Paris banlieues would have to cope with, but in this film by Laurent Cantet, there were so many situations that we have experienced that we could empathise with so much of it: the teachers and head teacher were credible (a varied non-glossy bunch, all with different views and yet generally supportive of each other and "the cause"); the class teacher, François Begaudeau (who originally was a teacher and who wrote the original novel and co-wrote the screenplay) was someone we could identify with, was a positive and sympathetic teacher who fell into the traps that most teachers might fall into in such circumstances; the parents had traits that we could recognise from parents we have encountered; and the children reacted with the teacher and with each other just like children we have taught. I loved the way it showed the workings of a French school and I thought how brilliant a resource this film would have been when I had to teach about the French educational system to English students.
I loved too the way in which the camera was used and how it strengthened what was for me the most impressive aspect of the film which was the dialogue: the dialogue between teacher and student, student and teacher, student and student, teacher and teacher, teacher and parent. The camera work was not jumpy but always had you in the right place to take in fully who was communicating with whom. I thought the camera shots at the end were so simple and yet so artistic. I thought the film gave fair credit to the pupils, although focusing on their foibles, showed their strengths too. The acting was top class, especially amongst the students. Who was my favourite? I think I would have to go with Esmeralda, although there were so many strong characters.
This film was so different from
Slumdog Millionaire but, because of the personal reflections, more enjoyable. I found the French more accessible than the
English in most American films and the subtitles were good.
The French theme continued when we went for supper at
Bordeaux Quay Brasserie. We shared an interesting mezze of hummus, courgettes and Baba Ganouj (made from roasted aubergines). Wendy had a lamb tagine and I had an Italian fish stew. Would have liked to have had the very reasonably priced Chateau Beau-Site
St Estèphe but, not surprisingly, it was sold out and so went for an Argentinian Don David 2007 Malbec from the Cafayate Valley - concentrated aromas of red fruit, spices and toasted notes from the oak; rich and complex with supple tannins and a long finish (not my comments but I agree!)
French day concluded by reading
Midi Olympique which Martin had kindly sent me . It was very interesting to read about the dispute between Guy Novès, coach to Toulouse (the top team in the
Top 14) and the national team. It seems that the
FFR don't have the sort of accord that the
RFU have made with the
Guinness Premiership which is quite a worry when so many English players are considering moving to play in the
Top 14 in France - also reported in
Midi Olympique. This edition of the
MO was interesting as it was not an international weekend and so featured news of the French clubs which I don't know much about.
