|
''The Class'' is a 2008 French drama film directed by Laurent Cantet. Its original French title is ''Entre les murs'', which translates literally to "Between the walls" or "Within the walls". It is based on the 2006 novel of the same name by François Bégaudeau. The novel is a semi-autobiographical account of Bégaudeau's experiences as a French language and literature teacher in a middle school in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, particularly illuminating his struggles with "problem children" Esmerelda (Esmeralda Ouertani), Khoumba (Rachel Regulier), and Souleymane (Franck Keïta). The film stars Bégaudeau himself in the role of the teacher.〔(The New York Times )〕〔(The New York Times )〕 The film received the Palme d'Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival,〔(French film wins top Cannes prize )〕 making it the first French film to do so since 1987, when Maurice Pialat won the award for ''Under the Sun of Satan''. ==Plot== The film covers an academic year, beginning with the teachers gathering for the autumn term, introducing themselves to each other and being welcomed by the principal, an unsmiling figure wearing rimless glasses. It ends with an informal game of football between staff and pupils and a long hand-held shot of an empty classroom. The camera never leaves the school. The film is set in the staff room, the playground, the dining room, the principal's office, a conference room, and the classroom where François Marin (François Bégaudeau) teaches French (i.e., language arts) to a mixed group of 13- and 14-year-olds. The film concentrates on Marin as he tries to keep order in the class, mediating between conflicting ethnic groups, quieting the rowdy, bringing out the reticent, and trying to educate them. The class is difficult, and in some ways the brightest are the most disruptive; when he teaches them the complexities of French verbs, they challenge the need to know such things, stating their limited use in modern speech. He gives them ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' to study, but many do not bother to read it. One of the most intelligent pupils, the near-nihilistic Esmerelda, of Tunisian origin, says she can't be bothered to read books. Marin tries to get an insight into the inner workings of the pupils; they write self-portraits which describe their aspirations, hobbies and dislikes. These are eventually collated by Marin who creates an end-of-year book with them. Marin manages to win over the sparsely driven Souleymane, from Mali, by allowing him to develop his gift for photography and make his self-portrait a pictorial biography. However, Souleymane's insolence and disobedience are his downfall as a confrontation with Marin and the class ends in an act of violence. Souleymane's violence lands him a hearing in front of the discipline committee, which results in his expulsion.〔Synopsis derives from Philip French review, ''The Observer'', 1 March 2009 ()〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Class (2008 film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|