Summary

1949, post-War France -- In a dark, doom-filled school for troubled boys where hope itself is in short supply, a mild-mannered new teacher has just arrived, only to find himself surrounded by prepubescent thieves, inveterate liars, unapologetic rebels and lost souls beyond reach. Or are they? When Clement Mathieu (Gerard Jugnot) introduces these supposedly hard-core delinquents to something they’ve never experienced before -- the freedom and joy of music -- he discovers there is far more to these children than anyone dared to believe. The year’s runaway smash hit in France, THE CHORUS (LES CHORISTES) is an emotional, music-filled tale about how a very humble man’s simple dreams changed the future for a forgotten group of children. Shot inside a castle in the French countryside that lends a rich fairy-tale atmosphere, the film marks the debut of writer, director and composer Christophe Barratier. The tale begins in modern times, as world-class conductor Pierre Morhange answers the door to a mysterious guest named Pepinot . Pepinot has brought to Morhange a gift: the diary of their former teacher, and unlikely source of inspiration, Clement Mathieu. Reading the diary, the grown men have a rare chance to look back on their rough childhoods -- and the remarkable turn of events that changed both their fates -- through their teacher’s eyes. An unsuccessful musician desperate for a job, Mathieu arrives at the school named “Fond De L’Etang” -- literally “rock bottom” -- having reached the end of his own rope. He is immediately taken aback by the school’s tyrannical rules, which are summed up by the iron-fisted headmaster Rachin (Francois Berleand ) with the catch-phrase “Action -- Reaction” -- meaning that the slightest bad behavior is to be punished with swift severity by the teachers. Hoping to reach his students without violence, Mathieu decides instead to form a choir. The idea is met with scorn and total disbelief, but Mathieu does it anyway, hoping to prove it will make a difference. Suddenly, the dank classroom begins to lighten and the halls fill with singing and laughter. Mathieu even finds his own abandoned passion for music reawakening and, in the process, finds an unexpected singing star: Pierre Morhange (Jean-Baptiste Maunier) the devilish boy with a face like an angel, whose beautiful single mother (Marie Bunel) is another incentive for Mathieu’s chorus to succeed. But Mathieu’s battle is just beginning. When a terrible crime is committed, the headmaster bans the choir from existence . . . forcing Mathieu and the children underground. Only now, even under the toughest of crack-downs, the music can no longer be stopped.