Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageLa Vie est à nous (1936)
Director: Jean Renoir, Jacques Becker, Jacques Becker, Jean-Paul Le Chanois, Jean-Paul Le Chanois, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Pierre Unik, Pierre Unik, Jacques Brunius, Jacques Brunius, André Vaillant-Couturier, André Vaillant-Couturier
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Described in its original credits simply as 'a film made collectively by a group of technicians, artists and workers' with no names appearing, La Vie est à nous was the most overt work of the French Popular Front, made by Renoir with the assistance of Jacques Becker and Henri Cartier-Bresson, among others, and produced by the Communist Party. Basically a collection of documentary footage and vignettes satirising bourgeois society, offering up plenty of Communist-inspired optimism; but what marks it out from most propagandist tracts is the familiar Renoir theme of community ideals transcending social classes, expressed so eloquently in his previous feature, Le Crime de Monsieur Lange. A film of its time, conceived in the shadow of Hitler, it still communicates its message with an irrepressible joy and swagger.Author: DT
Cast & crew
Director: Jean Renoir, Jacques Becker, Jacques Becker, Jean-Paul Le Chanois, Jean-Paul Le Chanois, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Pierre Unik, Pierre Unik, Jacques Brunius, Jacques Brunius, André Vaillant-Couturier, André Vaillant-Couturier
Cast: Jean Dasté, Jacques Brunius, Simone Guisin, Teddy Michaux, Pierre Unik, Max Dalban, Madeleine Sologne, Charles Blavette, Jean Renoir, Roger Blin, Gaston Modot, Jacques Becker full cast
Duration: 66 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now