The Two of Us (1968)

The hilarious Rik Mayall (The Young Ones Bottom) stars as the cunning politician Alan B'Stard in this outrageously satirical British TV series. In his ruthless pursuit of power and money there are no depths to which B'Stard will not happily sink no plot too dastardly. With the help of his equally deceitful wife and his wimpy assistant B'Stard schemes his way through his career. You'll be gasping with laughter through all 26 irresistible episodes of this award-winning series plus the feature-length special Who Shot Alan B'Stard?EPISODES: Happiness Is a Warm Gun - Passport to Freedom - Sex Is Wrong - Waste Not Want Not - Friends of St. James - Three Line Whipping - Baa Baa Black Sheep - Labour of Love - The Party's Over - Let Them Sniff Cake - Keeping Mum - Natural Selection - Profit of Boom - Fatal Extraction - Live from Westminster - A Wapping Conspiracy - The Haltemprice Bunker - California Here I Come - May the Best Man Win - Piers of the Realm - Back from the Mort - H*A*S*H - Speaking in Tongues - Heil and Farewell - A Bigger Splash - The Irresistible Rise of Alan B'StardSystem Requirements:Running Time: 700 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR UPC: 715515024129 Manufacturer No: CC1696DVD Product Description

Touching WWII Story of a Jewish boy and Catholic family

This is a wonderful film. It is in French with Engilsh sub titles. It takes place in German occupied France. A young couple send their 8 yr old boy to the country to stay with the land ladies parents. He has to keep his secret that he is a jew and pretend to be at Catholic. The old man is so funny and so in love with his old dog that he feeds at the table from a spoon. The couple are so kind to the boy. The child has fears and is not treated too well by the other children but the old man is is friend. It is just touching and leaves you feeling good in the end. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves War time stories. July 17, 2008

Thanks, Criterion, for bringing us this no-longer-rare gem

The guy who played the old man wasn't summoned from a nearby street corner. Revered actor Michel Simon comfortably inhabits the character of Pepe. Simon was a veteran of over 100 performances, dating back to Carl Dreyer's late-'20s cinematic tone poem The Passion of Joan of Arc. Long beloved of French audiences by the time this film was made: this isn't the final role in his career but among his later ones.

An inestimable moment among many is Pepe and Mèmè's passive-aggressive struggle over possibly being late to Mass. The husband's blessedly irascible indifference frustrates his wife's attempts to "help" (i.e. meddle) with the child's bathing (not ill-intentioned, but hardly motivated by motherly care). Serendipitously, this helps Claude maintain privacy not only for his body, but also his identity. It's an amusing vignette: but had things happened only a little bit differently, this could have been a matter of life and death. Note the subtlety of the performance from the boy (Alain Cohen), particularly his watchful eyes, and how--until one crucial moment--he takes care to conceal himself without calling too much attention to the fact.

Not certain why The Two of Us was chosen over the film's original title, which translates literally as The Old Man and the Child (Le vieil homme et l'enfant). But could either have more aptly reflected--in their simplicity--the charm of this story?

Consider the following. Who hasn't struggled with this? Think of that acquaintance or co-worker (we all know at least one)--who occasionally spews venom toward a traditionally-despised class--yet is typically so cheerful, so seemingly nice. WHAT to do?? Tell them you're offended? You suspect they're unlikely to change, and--if you do speak out--neither of you will be comfortable talking with one another ever again. How would this be of benefit for anyone? But in remaining silent, do you implicitly approve of bigotry?

SPOILER ALERT -- In dual reviews (one from the time of the theatrical release, one recently), Roger Ebert explores this dilemma. He argues convincingly that The Two of Us would have been a less satisfying film had the plot taken a more-predictable course, such as: the old man accidentally learns of the boy's heritage, and is forced to reassess his prejudices. What an improbable "conversion," intended to please (read: pander to) the audience in their desire for simplicity of a different kind.

In this story, young Claude is the character who changes. Had he not learned forgiveness toward those who fail to understand him entirely, his life would have been more frustrating, and it seems likely he would have made fewer friends. May 9, 2008

A Gem

A lovely story, rich with characters that stay with you. Good (important) for the whole family to see. April 7, 2008

A Friend in Need

I had heard the "The Two of Us" is a great movie and I was not oversold; it IS a great movie! It gives us a personal look Occupied France, anti-Semitism, and the needs of two people who have lost their connections. The way the movie brings these two characters, an old man and a boy, together is intelligently done. Once they're united, the movie really takes off.

The boy is a Jewish child from Paris whose mischeviousness seems to draw a lot of attention to himself; just what his parents don't need. The opportunity comes to send him to live with the elderly parents of a friend in the countryside near Grenoble. The elderly man is most definitely NOT Jewish. Our young hero finds himself alone in a strange place. The old man can't understand or even abide his children and he and his wife seem to spend much of their time in disagreement with one another. Our elderly hero finds himself alone in a familiar place. They readily take to each other and the beauty of the film is how it portrays the genisis and growth of their relationship. There is much that is said about the time and place that this film took place in. However, the extremes of France in 1944 merely serve as an amplifier to the story of a most unusual friendship.

The acting and directing were superb in "The Two of Us". To be honest, I won't remember the names but I WILL remember their preformances. I kept wondering where did they find the guy who plays the old man. You have to see him to believe him yet his acting is outstanding (not just another funny face). The boy is endearing and the way they evolve together is even more so. This movie is a masterpiece of joy. March 16, 2008

THE ENEMY WITHIN

1967. First full-length movie written and directed by Claude Berri. This film earned three awards during the 1967 Berlin International Film Festival. This Criterion DVD also presents Claude Berri's short film LE POULET which earned the Oscar in 1962. Masterpiece. October 29, 2007

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