Smugglers’ Songs

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Director in person! Louis Mandrin was a notorious, Robin Hood-like bandit in the years before the French Revolution; eventually, he was captured and executed, but his legend lived on in music, films and TV series. This is the point of departure for Rabur Ameur-ZaÏmeche’s fourth feature: following the hanging of Mandrin, members of his band set up a kind of underground network to publish and distribute his songs and stories, hoping to create “a framework for the republic.” They are helped in their efforts by the support of the Marquis de Levezin (Jacques Nolot), a wistful aristocrat who believes in Mandrin and his followers even though he knows they signal the end of his kind.  Marking the director’s first foray into period filmmaking, Smugglers’ Songs nevertheless has a strikingly contemporary feel; shot on digital, and with a broad ethnic mix of actors, the film seems torn from today’s headlines even as it anticipates the Revolution.

Part of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2012

• Country France
• Language In French with English subtitles
• Rating NR
• Running Time 97 minutes
• Director Rabah Ameur-Zaïméche

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.