A Very Long Engagement
In 1919, Mathilde is 19 years old. Two years earlier, her fiancé Manech left for the front on the Somme. Like millions of others, he is declared ‘killed in action’. It is written in black and white on the official correspondence. However Mathilde refuses to accept this fact. If Manech were dead, she would know it. She holds to this intuition as a last thread that still connects her to her lover. An old sergeant may tell her how Manech is killed in a no man’s land of a trench called Bingo Crepuscule, in company of four other men, condemned to death for self mutilation, but it doesn’t matter…
Mathilde refuses to let go of the thread. She clings to it with blind faith and launches off into a veritable counter inquest. From false hopes and certitudes, she untangles, little by little what happened to Manech and his four comrades. The path is full of dead ends, but that doesn’t worry Mathilde. Anything is surmountable for those who dare to defy the Fates…
Mathilde Audrey Tautou
Manech Gaspard Ulliel
Sylvain Dominique Pinon
Benoit Notre Dame Clovis Cornillac
Bastoche Jérôme Kircher
Bénédicte Chantal Neuwirth
Célestin Poux Albert Dupontel
Six Sous Denis Lavant
Esperanza Jean-Pierre Becker
Ange Bassignano Dominique Bettenfeld
Coporal Gordes Jean-Pierre Darroussin
Tina Lombardi Marion Cotillard
Pierre-Marie Rouvières André Dussollier
Germain Pire Ticky Holgado
The postman Jean-Paul Rouve
Elodie Gordes Jodie Foster
Coporal Chardolot Bouli Lanners
Lieutenant Estrangin Thierry Gibault
Favart Philippe Duquesne
10 year old Mathilde Solène Le Pechon
13 year old Manech Virgil Leclaire
Véronique Passavant Julie Depardieu
Mrs Desrochelles Maud Rayer
Captain Favourier Tcheky Karyo
Philippot Stéphane Butet
The prison director Marc Faure
The young Desrochelles Rodolphe Pauly
Thouvenel François Levantal
L’il Louis Michel Vuillermoz
Commandant Lavrouye Jean-Claude Dreyfus
Lieutenant Estrangin Thierry Gibault
The cafe prostitute Myriam Roustan
The murdered officer Gilles Masson
Mariette Notre Dame Sandrine Rigaud
Milly’s priest Michel Chalmeau
Jean Desrochelles Rodolphe Pauly
Chardolot’s friend Xavier Maly
The German prisoner Till Bahlmann
The gravedigger Tony Gaultier
et Louis Marie Audubert
Sergeant Jean Gilles Barbier
Soldiers Marc Robert
Pierre Heitz, Philippe Maymat
Eric Debrosse, Mike Gondouin
The menacing Corsican Eric Fraticelli
The joker on the train Philippe Beautier
The conned soldiers Gérald Weingand
et Luc Songzoni
The orderly Xavier Berlioz
The madam Frankie Pain
The bourgeois couple Marcel Philippot
et Pascale Lievyn
The German machine gunner Jean-Claude Lecoq
A Breton Rufus
The nurse Esther Sironneau
Prostitutes Stéphanie Gesnel
et Frédérique Bel
The stretcher carriers Alexandre Caumartin
et Eric Defosse
The stabbed German Gaspar Claus
Georges Cornu Jean-Philippe Beche
Hélène Pire Anaïs Durand
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Screenplay and adaptation Jean-Pierre Jeunet
et Guillaume Laurant
Dialogues Guillaume Laurant
Casting Pierre-Jacques Benichou
Director of photography Bruno Delbonnel A.E.C.
Costumes Madeline Fontaine
Set design Aline Bonetto
Makeup Nathalie Tissier
Hair Jean-Charles Bachelier
Sound Jean Umansky
Music Angelo Badalamenti
Editor Hervé Schneid A.C.E.
Sound editor Gérard Hardy
Mixer Vincent Arnardi C.A.S.
Digital effects Alain Carsoux
Special effects Les Versaillais
Color timer Yvan Lucas
Production director Jean-Marc Deschamps
Executive producer Jean-Lou Monthieux
1st assistant directors Pascal Roy
Thierry Mauvoisin
et Arnaud Esterez
2e assistant directors Cécile Denis
Guilain Depardieu
Matthieu de La Mortière
Storyboarder Luc Desportes
Script Anne Wermerlinger
Children casting Valérie Espagne
Extras casting Marie Sylvie Caillièrez
Steadicam cameraman Valentin Monge
Still photographer Bruno Calvo
3D Photographers Gilles Berquet et Mirka
Making of Julien Lecat
