IMDb RATING
6.7/10
605
YOUR RATING
Sensitive story of a British girl's awakening from childhood into life and love on vacation in France.Sensitive story of a British girl's awakening from childhood into life and love on vacation in France.Sensitive story of a British girl's awakening from childhood into life and love on vacation in France.
Raymond Gérôme
- Renard
- (as Raymond Gerome)
André Maranne
- Monsieur Dufour
- (as Andre Maranne)
Harold Kasket
- Monsieur Prideaux
- (as Harold Kaskett)
Jacques B. Brunius
- Monsieur Joubert
- (as Jacques Brunius)
Will Stampe
- Monsieur Armand
- (as Will Stamp)
Jacques Dhéry
- Bargee
- (as Jacques Dhery)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSeveral years after Kenneth More's death, both Lewis Gilbert and Susannah York said in interviews that More had been miscast in this film and that Dirk Bogarde would have been better in the role. However, More wanted very much to be in the film, precisely because the role would be an unusual one for him, and, nearing his fifties, he wanted to change his movie image and find more complex and mature parts.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: IN THE GREEN AND GOLD CHAMPAGNE COUNTRY OF FRANCE
- ConnectionsFeatured in Talkies: Remembering Kenneth More: Part One (2019)
Featured review
Lolita in the Champagne Country
The alternative title for this film is The Loss of Innocence, which sounds deceptively exploitative. It is however an appropriate description of a charming yet sinister film.
The film is set in the Champagne Country in France, so we get some lush views of the French countryside and even a look into the champagne caves. That alone would probably be enough for some people but we have a great story too: four children (for those who read the book, the character of Cecil has been merged with Hester) are left on their own in a grand hotel in France when their mother gets taken ill. Thirteen-year-old Hester, the second eldest, takes charge of The Littles (their name for the two young children) as she has the best knowledge of French, but it is the eldest child, sixteen-year-old Joss, that blossoms almost overnight. Her beauty captures the heart of their unofficial guardian, middle-aged Englishman Eliot, and Joss soon becomes entangled in a love triangle between her, Eliot, and co-owner of the hotel, Madame Zizi. Further complications arise when Eliot proves himself to be untrustworthy, perhaps even criminal...
The novel has been diluted in the transition to film. The novel's equivalent of Hester, Cecil, is the narrator of the novel, so we see her sister's sexual awakening through her eyes. Cecil also undergoes a transition into womanhood, however all hints of this are eradicated in the film. Whether this is due to time restrictions or trying to please the censors is unclear. The focus of the film is on Joss and her coming-of-age. Fans of the book may be disappointed that Susannah York does not have the exotic dark beauty that Joss is supposed to have, but she is suitably pretty and passes as a sixteen-year-old who is just turning into a woman. She also resembles Sue Lyon in Lolita, which came out in the same year, and the two films have some similarities in that relationship. Kenneth More is a bit old to play Eliot so one might have to stretch their imagination to believe that Joss fancies him. He also doesn't have the suaveness or mysteriousness of Eliot in the novel. However he does have a chirpy charm and works well with the children. A mention should also go to Jane Asher, who plays Hester's curiosity of the adult world very effectively.
Although the film does not capture the darkness and perfection of the novel, it remains a nice exploration of the process of growing up.
The film is set in the Champagne Country in France, so we get some lush views of the French countryside and even a look into the champagne caves. That alone would probably be enough for some people but we have a great story too: four children (for those who read the book, the character of Cecil has been merged with Hester) are left on their own in a grand hotel in France when their mother gets taken ill. Thirteen-year-old Hester, the second eldest, takes charge of The Littles (their name for the two young children) as she has the best knowledge of French, but it is the eldest child, sixteen-year-old Joss, that blossoms almost overnight. Her beauty captures the heart of their unofficial guardian, middle-aged Englishman Eliot, and Joss soon becomes entangled in a love triangle between her, Eliot, and co-owner of the hotel, Madame Zizi. Further complications arise when Eliot proves himself to be untrustworthy, perhaps even criminal...
The novel has been diluted in the transition to film. The novel's equivalent of Hester, Cecil, is the narrator of the novel, so we see her sister's sexual awakening through her eyes. Cecil also undergoes a transition into womanhood, however all hints of this are eradicated in the film. Whether this is due to time restrictions or trying to please the censors is unclear. The focus of the film is on Joss and her coming-of-age. Fans of the book may be disappointed that Susannah York does not have the exotic dark beauty that Joss is supposed to have, but she is suitably pretty and passes as a sixteen-year-old who is just turning into a woman. She also resembles Sue Lyon in Lolita, which came out in the same year, and the two films have some similarities in that relationship. Kenneth More is a bit old to play Eliot so one might have to stretch their imagination to believe that Joss fancies him. He also doesn't have the suaveness or mysteriousness of Eliot in the novel. However he does have a chirpy charm and works well with the children. A mention should also go to Jane Asher, who plays Hester's curiosity of the adult world very effectively.
Although the film does not capture the darkness and perfection of the novel, it remains a nice exploration of the process of growing up.
- miss_lady_ice-853-608700
- Oct 23, 2011
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Es geschah in diesem Sommer
- Filming locations
- Gare SNCF, 28 Boulevard de Verdun, Béziers, Hérault, France(Madame Zizi steps out of the train)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1(original ratio)
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