The film follows four families, with different nationalities (French, German, Russian and American) but with the same passion for music, from the 1930s to the 1960s. The various story lines cross each other time and again in different places and times, with their own theme scores that evolve as time passes. The main event in the film is the Second World War, which throws the stories of the four musical families together and mixes their fates. Although all characters are fictional, many of them are loosely based on historical musical icons (Édith Piaf, Josephine Baker, Herbert von Karajan, Glenn Miller, Rudolf Nureyev, etc.) The Boléro dance sequence at the end brings all the threads together.
Direction
Lelouch's trademark cross-cutting reaches operatic excess.
Score
Four evolving themes merge into one devastating Boléro climax.
Cinematography
Three decades of period glamour shot with romantic sweep.
Director
Claude Lelouch
Robert Hossein
Simon Meyer / Robert Prat
Nicole Garcia
Anne Meyer
Geraldine Chaplin
Suzan / Sara Glenn
Daniel Olbrychski
Karl Kremer
Macha Méril
Magda Kremer
Évelyne Bouix
Evelyne / Edith
Francis Huster
Francis
Raymond Pellegrin
M. Raymond
Paul Préboist
Le grand-père d'Edith
Jean-Claude Brialy
Le directeur du Lido
Marthe Villalonga
La grand-mère d'Edith
Fanny Ardant
Véronique
Jean-Claude Bouttier
Philippe Rouget
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jorge Donn, the film's lead dancer, was a legendary Béjart Ballet principal whose real-life charisma made him the obvious choice to embody multiple generations.
Lelouch conceived this as a spiritual sequel to his 1966 hit A Man and a Woman, trading cars for composers but keeping his obsession with chance encounters across time.
FR
