Chocolat (2016 film)
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (April 2016) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
| Chocolat | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Roschdy Zem |
| Written by | Roschdy Zem Cyril Gely Olivier Gorce Gérard Noiriel |
| Produced by | Éric Altmayer Nicolas Altmayer |
| Starring | Omar Sy James Thiérrée |
| Cinematography | Thomas Letellier |
| Edited by | Monica Coleman |
| Music by | Gabriel Yared |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Gaumont |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $18.5 million[1] |
| Box office | $14.9 million[2] |
Chocolat is a 2016 French drama film directed by Roschdy Zem and starring Omar Sy and James Thiérrée.
Synopsis
The clown Chocolat (Omar Sy) becomes, in 1886, the first black artist of the French scene.
Plot
In 1897, a black man named Kananga, the son of former slave Cuba, plays a small role in the modest circus Delvaux. George Foottit, a white clown, is asked by the director to bring up their numbers. He gets the idea to have an act with Kananga; a white authoritative clown and a black scapegoat named Chocolat.
They are well received and the word spreads through France, reaching Joseph Oller, director of the Nouveau Cirque. He asks Foottit and Chocolat to take their show to his Parisian establishment. The success is immediate, and Chocolat becomes the first famous black clown. The success stirs envy in his previous employer's wife. She denounces him for being in France illegally.
Chocolat is arrested and tortured by the police. "A negro always remains a negro," the police commander tells Chocolat when he releases him. While the humiliation in the circus act is staged for humorous effect, the racism Chocolat encounters in France grinds him down. Chocolat is both celebrated as a star and made into a racial caricature. This becomes strikingly apparent when the poster for the show depicts Chocolat with the face of an ape. Faced with the hypocrisy of French society, he gives himself up to gambling and women. At the end of his life, Chocolat falls into obscurity and dies of illness.
Historical accuracy
The film is only loosely based on the real life of Rafael Padilla,[3] son of a slave from Cuba, a Spanish colony at the time.
Reception
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 100% of critics gave the film a positive review.[4]
Cast
- Omar Sy as Chocolat
- James Thiérrée as George Foottit
- Clotilde Hesme as Marie
- Olivier Gourmet as Joseph Oller
- Frédéric Pierrot as Monsieur Delvaux
- Noémie Lvovsky as Madame Delvaux
- Alice de Lencquesaing as Camille
- Alex Descas as Victor
- Olivier Rabourdin as Firmin Gémier
- Xavier Beauvois as Félix Pottin
- Denis and Bruno Podalydès as Auguste and Louis Lumière
- Thibault de Montalembert as Jules Moy
- Héléna Soubeyrand as Régina Badet
- Christophe Fluder as Marval
- Antonin Maurel as Ortis
- Mick Holsbeke as Green
Premios
| Premio / Pelicula Festival | Categoria | Reconocidos y nominaciones | Resultados |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premios César | Mejor Actor | Omar Sy | Nominated |
| Mejor Actor Secundario | James Thiérrée | Nominated | |
| Mejor Sonido | Brigitte Taillandier, Vincent Guillon and Stéphane Thiébaut | Nominated | |
| Mejor Música Original | Gabriel Yared | Nominated | |
| Mejor Diseño de Producción | Jérémie D. Lignol | Won | |
| Premios Globos de Cristal | Mejor Pelicula | Won | |
| Mejor Actor | Omar Sy | Won | |
| Premios Lumières | Mejor Actor | Omar Sy | Nominated |
| James Thiérrée | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Chocolat (2016)". JP's Box-Office.
- ^ "Chocolat". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ Michel, Nicolas (29 January 2015). "Cinéma : ce qui est vrai, ce qui est faux dans « Chocolat », le film de Roschdy Zem" (in French).
- ^ "Chocolat". Rotten Tomatoes.
