Les petites fugues (1979) User Reviews

Languid ballad of our obscured longings

[anirbanab · 9/10 · 27 February 2012]

Cute and comforting – that's how one can describe this movie. The kind of "cuteness" that 'Cinema Paradiso' or 'The spirit of the beehive' or 'The grand highway' presents you with.

All-too-well-known characters, all-too-well-known days, but how much of a character resides beneath the surface? How much of a "special day" resides underneath a humdrum-'everyday'? - This movie is an authentic documentation of all our 'could-have-been' dreams of mundane 'everyday's. Doesn't matter if you are not a farmer in Switzerland, doesn't matter if you are not familiar with country life, you'll still be able to relate yourself perfectly with the main character, you'll still want to have your own small moped.

The movie has a number of strong points, the best to me being, sense of restraint of director Yves Yersin. As a result of this pinpoint precision, despite an inviting subject matter, the movie never imposes abstractness on viewers. While it never drifts too away from reality, it doesn't dwell merely in the reality. – Not many films can be attributed with this rare quality.

I recommend this movie strongly, it's a real gem.

Why don't broadcast companies give this beautiful more attention?

[tontsje · 9/10 · 2 October 1999]

Les petites fugues is a marvellous movie. It's theme is serious, it's tone is light. The principal person of the movie is an old farmhand on an isolated farm in Switzerland. He buys himself a moped and along with it freedom (and not only) of movement. At first he enjoys his freedom, but later on he discovers that he cannot handle it very well. Strong points of this movie are : - The acting of Michel Robin - Many scenes are very hilarious, for instance the driving lessons; the party at the motor races etc. - Beautiful camerawork; in one instance even stunning. When the farmhand makes his first trip on his own the camera follows him in "birdsview" and by enlarging the distance the landscape opens up more and more thus symbolising in a convincing way the freedom he has gained. - The movie is very likable. Here in the Netherlands we can receive about 20 channels which broadcast movies. I cannot remember that this movie has been programmed in the last 10 years. I cannot understand why such a nice and accessible movie gets so little attention. It made me wonder if it's still available; many "Filmencyclopedies" don't mention it anymore. I'm glad I found it in the IMDB

Wonderful movie, wonderful message

[Boehm · 19 May 2003]

This warmhearted and for start quiet movie about an old farm labourer shows us that life can for long time be quite dull and - even at the end of a life span - be sparked by a small incident and set off to another horizon. This is lovely and so utterly optimistic, it warms the viewers heart. If you get the chance, go see it.

lovely

[Kirpianuscus · 15 August 2021]

Michel Robin is the star of this real precious film about oldness and dreams, about radical change of life of a farm, about a version of Madame Bovary, about parents, tradition against destroy of the legacy of past, about boredom and about sentimental adventure as result of it but, more important, about a venerable man and his second youth defined by moped and Italian lessons to use it, , motocros contest, photos, mount Cerveno and wise mix of humor, nostalgia, bitterness and flavors of fairy tale. Lovely film.

Ticket to ride

[dbdumonteil · 18 October 2016]

There is something of Bertold Brecht in this movie ;in his short story,"Die Unwürdige Greisin" (masterfully transferred to the screen by René Allio as "La Vieille Dame Indigne " -the shameless old lady-),the German writer told us the story of a woman who spent her whole life cooking ,washing ,house-cleaning for her family ;after her husband's death ,she decided she would at last live her life :she bought a car ,she went to the pictures : her first life lasted sixty years ;her second only eighteen months ;but she had eaten the bread of life till its last crumbs.

Pipe (it's a nickname ;we will never know his real one) works on a farm;he is not mistreated ,he sits at the table with the farmer and his wife ,but nobody would have thought that after 30 years ,he would like to know more than the barn ,the farm yard and the manure heap .The day he buys a moped changes his life ;much to the farmer's surprise (and displeasure) ,he sometimes runs away (check the title) and discovers the world ;his first ride is superbly filmed : when he reaches the end of the forest ,an impressive panoramic shot shows a landscape who does not seem to end ;he visits a chocolate factory (De Rigueur in Switzerland ) ,attends a motocross race ,wins a camera ;after an accident,he's deprived of his vehicle but he does not confess himself beaten : the noise of his camera almost sounds like a protest.

The director depicts ,in great detail ,the life of a family of farmers

circa 1970-80: the father is becoming a man of the past ,and the son's attitude is a trifle contemptuous "it's only figures,you would not understand ";they are not "villains " ,they are not cardboard characters,mother makes a cake for the Italian boy who works on the farm with Pipe ,the modern son plays football with his farmhands .

The farmer cannot understand why his farm hand who has been working for him for thirty years ,and has had a day off (Sundays) every week ,can feel like going away during the week ;but he does not realize that agriculture is undergoing massive changes even though this evolution is very slow .The photographs Pipe takes may actually be the last account of the "old age" ,just before the master calls it a day .

Hence the running time of the movie (135 min) which might put off some viewers .But if you are looking for something different ,this may be your cup of tea;Michel Robin reminds me of Michel Simon,a more restrained Michel Simon :that means a lot!