How sad is this?

Best movie ever!

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

James Thierrée took the show for me followed neck and neck by Omar Sy. What a tribute of excellent acting! I found the movie totally fascinating, having no idea about these lives and events and how they were both, in their own way, totally ground breaking performers.Unlike one review, I reveled in the depth of the story. I found the solid mix of racial issues, the rise of their fame and brilliance, the whole patina that made up parts of this time in their lives made for excellent viewing for anyone with something of a thinking mind.Just a wonderful movie with standout brilliant acting. I was surprised and enthralled.

Films about racism come in a variety of genres and styles. Most are essays in conflict and hardship so it is unusual to find one that is based on circus clowns and laughter. The traditional circus was a mirror of the race and class structures of society and audience response reflected social values. This theme overarches the delightful French film Chocolat (2016) that is based on the true story of the first black-skinned circus entertainer in 19th century Paris.A brief note on the history of clowns might help to see the deeper layers of this film. Dating to Greek and Roman theatre, the popularity of the clown's low-class buffoonery reflects the human need to occasionally step outside of the norms of society. Their costumes and personality codes vary widely from the European harlequin jester or comical fool to the American down-and-out hobo caricature. Traditional circus clowns perform slapstick comedy in pairs: the white-faced clown is the instigator of gags, the red-faced (or Auguste) clown is the victim or fall-guy. With centuries of tradition behind them, it was a cultural shock for French circus audiences to see a black-faced Auguste clown for the first time and terrifying to know that it was not black makeup.It is 1886 and the tired-looking Circus Delvaux is auditioning for acts to restore its fortunes. White clown George Foottit (James Thiérrée) is struggling to find work until he teams up with a former Cuban-negro slave with the stage name of Chocolat (Omar Sy). They quickly become a sensational duo, and the Delvaux circus prospers as crowds flock to see George kick, slap, and humiliate Chocolat. As their fame grows, Chocolat becomes the star celebrity and flaunts his success with flamboyant clothes, expensive car, gambling and substance abuse. Over time, Chocolat grows resentful of the racist taunts and abandons George for a career as a Shakespearean actor. Despite a credible performance as Othello, French audiences cannot accept a black person in serious theatre. With growing gambling debts and ill health, Chocolat ends his career in sadness and despair.There are so many engaging layers in this film. Both co-stars are brilliant in their roles and the detailed period sets exude authenticity. The behind-the-tent circus life is full of unusual and interesting humanity living in convoys of small caravans that move entertainers from town to town. From the perspective of the modern screen-reliant world, it is charming to see the physicality and humour of the lost art of circus slapstick comedy. While today's social conscience finds the blunt racism of a past era repulsive, this film reminds us of the ever-presence of race as a social divider. The appearance of black skin no longer shocks anyone but black talent is still the 'Auguste' in contemporary cinema.This multi-layered film has a nuanced mix of humorous entertainment, historical insight and contemporary relevance. While funny faces, staring eyes, and goofy slapstick struggles to draw loud laughter today, the dark message of Chocolat lies in its portrait of racism masked as humour.

'Chocolat' A review by Deena Padayachee. directed by Roschdy Zem and starring Omar Sy and James Thiérrée. This film is a devastating indictment of the imperial caste system in imperial France. You see this tall black man walk into a circus ring hand in hand with a monkey - to the derisory hoots of the conquerors. That's the kind of thing many black people had to do to survive in those trying times when we were the descendants of the conquered and our children had little hope. These broken semi slaves were often forced to run a horrifying gauntlet and they experienced the most excruciating pain and indignity just to be allowed to draw breath. Chocolat's father saw his son watch him the old man was forced to to behave like an animal and accept crumbs from the Master's table. The 'chocolate' man later became one half of black and white circus act at the beginning of the 20th century. He is usually the clown who is booted, slapped and punched by the white actor. A shroud of humiliation and mockery beset him every waking minute. Perpetual stress and depression was part of his permanent tomb as a plaything in the heart of the French empire. Virtually his only source of happiness emanated from the beautiful white women who were willing to enter his ebony world and love him. At one point he is told, "For white people, a successful black man is a great insult." Trying to work and survive in the land of 'liberty, equality and fraternity', it was inevitable that his very presence was seen as an affront by many French. In what appeared to be a contrived stratagem, Chocolat is arrested and tortured for 'not having an ID document'. This atrocity predated the Apartheid dompass system. A dark skin instantly criminalised one in the eyes of many light skinned people. The imperial legal system was there to terrorise, torture, undermine, sabotage and murder black people who dared to utilise their gifts and become the peers of white people. This film is an exceptional exposition of the terrible trials and tribulations of the conquered caste in the era before the world wars between the empires - wars that helped to free, to an extent, the conquered world. From childhood I used to wonder why so many non white people behaved so badly when they had the choice to behave decently. A tragedy of infinite proportions is the fact that millions of descendants of the conquered will never know that this film exists. When I saw the film, most of the audience was white. Ours is still very much a conquered, colonised world. But many do not know that.

We should care about performers for what they do, not for who they are and certainly not for who their family is, but I couldn't help it. I went to see CHOCOLAT because the actor playing second lead is Charlie Chaplin's grandson. And even if I'd been expecting Charlie Chaplin's reincarnation, I wouldn't have been disappointed. As the movie introduces his character, he does a tour-de-force of solo clowning that's jaw-dropping. Later on, the movie focuses rather more on the title character as he and the second lead make a revolutionary pairing of the white clown and the Auguste in the same act. We don't quite get an explanation of what the traditional white clown and the traditional Auguste are, but we do get a vivid, picturesque depiction of 19th- century France and a pretty strong story line.