From my favorite movies..

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

I just watched this movie, and it took me 10 minutes to realize that I already saw it before (but never made it to the end). It's that forgettable. For starters, its interminable, almost 3 hours. It's a huge production, with a cast of a thousand, all famous French actors and with James Caan thrown in for good measure. There is an unending cast of poorly portrayed characters, new characters small and large popping up all the time. It's like watching a French telephone book made into a movie. Trying to keep it straight? Take a load of this, they all play two generations of themselves, sometimes at the same time (OK, the James Caan with the graying hair is the dad, and the one who looks not a year younger, with the red hair is the son. Why not give them all name tags?). If you want to see Fellini meets Busbee Berklee, if you like a comic book history lesson of WWII with nicely tanned and brightly colored scenes of Auschwitz for instance (I'm not kidding, and it's not a spoof either), and if a director who can't tell a story and covers up with gratuitous special effects and lavish song and dance numbers is your kind of guy, by all means watch this movie.

I was in Strasbourg, France in 1981 when this film first came out and saw it in a movie theater. It was a compelling film and spoken not only in French, but German, Russian and English, according to the character's language. I loved the story, the music (my favorite rendition of Bolero), the incredible dancing, the acting. I even acquired the soundtrack and a VHS of the movie after seeing it, even though I don't typically acquire copies of movies once I have seen them. This film is and will always be my favorite film of all time. I happened to be studying the subject of international human rights law in Strasbourg at the time, so it seemed fitting to see this movie about WWII and the humanitarian aspects of the finale of the film. Our world has become so interdependent that other directors should take note of this little-known film and its use of multiple languages to great effect.

Just viewed this movie on a DVD from Netflix. This movie is what a motion picture can be in the hands of an intelligent and talented director.The photography was wonderful, the use of color was spectacular, the sound was excellent, and the music and performances were top notch. I especially liked the full symphony orchestra segments and the American big band segments. The Folies-type musical numbers were also done with flair, and Geraldine Chaplin proved herself to be a classy cabaret singer (assuming her voice wasn't dubbed). Michel Legrand I believe was responsible for the music, which was first rate throughout.All production values were of the highest order.The final dance sequence, which lasted far longer than anything Hollywood would permit, was phenomenal; the late Jorge Donn was not Nureyev, but spectacular all the same. The robustness and uncompromisingly balletic style of the finale put the ballet sequences in a couple of American movies--American In Paris and Carousel-- in the shade. Released in the U.S. as Bolero, apparently. Without car chases, explosions, etc., I doubt if it did very well at the box office over here.

I saw that movie when it came out, and it is a great movie. I have the music for it and I still listen to it after all these year. I had the music on a record then on a cassette and now on a CD. I am looking very hard to find this film on DVD. I want to share that movie with my friends.