Belle & Sébastien
16/01/16 Filed in: Amazon Prime
Belle & Sébastien is my latest viewing on Amazon Prime. This is a beautiful French film with the absolutely stunning backdrop of the French Alps.
The film starts with the young boy, Sébastien, and his adoptive grandfather, César, walking in the mountains. The initial views are breathtaking. César is searching for 'The Beast', a feral dog suspected of killing sheep. Other hunters from the village, lower down the mountain, shoot a deer, leaving its fawn on a precarious ledge. What follows is a vertiginous scene where César lowers Sébastian over the edge to recover the fawn. It made me feel quite queazy.
Sébastien roams the mountains at will, seemingly in preference to school, and it isn't long before 'The Beast', a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, and he meet up. The dog, which is wary of adults, forms a bond with the child, and Sébastien does everything he can to protect his new friend.
All this is taking place during the Second World War and German soldiers are posted in the village, their orders being to catch Jews, who they suspect are being led across the mountains to Switzerland by the local doctor, Guillaume.
The film starts with the young boy, Sébastien, and his adoptive grandfather, César, walking in the mountains. The initial views are breathtaking. César is searching for 'The Beast', a feral dog suspected of killing sheep. Other hunters from the village, lower down the mountain, shoot a deer, leaving its fawn on a precarious ledge. What follows is a vertiginous scene where César lowers Sébastian over the edge to recover the fawn. It made me feel quite queazy.
Sébastien roams the mountains at will, seemingly in preference to school, and it isn't long before 'The Beast', a Pyrenean Mountain Dog, and he meet up. The dog, which is wary of adults, forms a bond with the child, and Sébastien does everything he can to protect his new friend.
All this is taking place during the Second World War and German soldiers are posted in the village, their orders being to catch Jews, who they suspect are being led across the mountains to Switzerland by the local doctor, Guillaume.
Angélina, César's daughter, is the village baker, and cares for her father and Sébastien. They have told Sébastian that his mother is in America, a country that he believes to be over the other side of the mountains. He will, in due course, learn the truth.
Belle continues to be hunted and is shot, but not badly injured. Sébastien 'persuades' Guillaume to come and give her an injection as the wound has become infected. Later in the film, when Guillaume is leading a Jewish family over the mountains, the truth about 'The Beast' is revealed, a pack of wolves being responsible for the sheep deaths. At this point Belle in fact comes to Guillaume's rescue after he injures himself trying to defend the sheep. After this even César warms to the animal.
With Guillaume injured, Angélina takes over the passage of the Jewish family. With German soldiers in pursuit they are forced to take a dangerous route across the mountains, ably assisted by Belle and Sébastien.
I found this a most charming story, the idyll of the mountain village and the surrounding terrain only being marred by the fact that it was set during the War. However, there was nothing in the film that was unsuitable for younger viewers and I would rate it as superb family viewing.
Belle continues to be hunted and is shot, but not badly injured. Sébastien 'persuades' Guillaume to come and give her an injection as the wound has become infected. Later in the film, when Guillaume is leading a Jewish family over the mountains, the truth about 'The Beast' is revealed, a pack of wolves being responsible for the sheep deaths. At this point Belle in fact comes to Guillaume's rescue after he injures himself trying to defend the sheep. After this even César warms to the animal.
With Guillaume injured, Angélina takes over the passage of the Jewish family. With German soldiers in pursuit they are forced to take a dangerous route across the mountains, ably assisted by Belle and Sébastien.
I found this a most charming story, the idyll of the mountain village and the surrounding terrain only being marred by the fact that it was set during the War. However, there was nothing in the film that was unsuitable for younger viewers and I would rate it as superb family viewing.