Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion

Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion (French: L'Abbé Pierre – Une vie de combats) is a 2023 French biographical drama film based on the life of Abbé Pierre, a Catholic priest and national hero in France who devoted his life to helping the poor, homeless people and refugees. Directed by Frédéric Tellier from a screenplay written by Tellier and Olivier Gorce, the film stars Benjamin Lavernhe as Abbé Pierre.^[3][1]

Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion
French	L'Abbé Pierre – Une vie de combats
Directed by	Frédéric Tellier
Written by	Frédéric Tellier Olivier Gorce
Produced by	Wassim Béji Thierry Desmichelle
Starring	Benjamin Lavernhe
Cinematography	Renaud Chassaing^[1]
Edited by	Valérie Deseine^[1]
Music by	Bryce Dessner
Production companies	WY Productions SND France 3 Cinéma
Distributed by	SND
Release dates	26 May 2023 (2023-05-26) (Cannes) 8 November 2023 (2023-11-08) (France)
Running time	138 minutes^[2]
Country	France
Language	French
Budget	€15 million^[3]
Box office	$6.1 million^[4]

The film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 26 May 2023.

Synopsis

The life of Henri Grouès, known as Abbé Pierre, from his time in the Resistance in WWII to his fights against poverty and for the homeless.

Cast

• Benjamin Lavernhe as Abbé Pierre
• Emmanuelle Bercot as Lucie Coutaz
• Michel Vuillermoz as Georges Legay

Production

Development

In January 2020, it was announced that SND Films and Wy Productions were preparing a film about the life of Abbé Pierre.^[5] Frédéric Tellier was announced director, and co-writer of the script with Olivier Gorce.^[6] The idea for the film was born from the desire of Wassim Béji and SND Films to tell the story of the priest's life. Béji explained, "Abbé Pierre had an incredible life and was a true rock star. To tell the story of this figure who traversed the 20th century is to tell our story".^[7] The film was produced by Béji's WY Productions and by SND, in co-production with France 3 Cinéma.^[8][3]

In developing the screenplay, Frédéric Tellier researched extensively for about 3 years. He read books written by Abbé Pierre or by his relatives and watched news footage as well as fictional portrayals of the subject, including Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre (1989) and Les Chiffonniers d'Emmaüs (1955). He also spoke with individuals who knew the priest, such as Laurent Desmard, who worked in a high-ranking position at Emmaüs and who was his private secretary.^[7]

Filming

Filming began in December 2021, under the working title Les Onze Vies de l'Abbé Pierre (The Eleven Lives of Abbé Pierre).^[9] It took place in Paris (Studios Ferber),^[7] in the Île-de-France region (Villeneuve-la-Garenne,^[7] Boissy-sous-Saint-Yon)^[10] and in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, including Lyon, Chambéry (Savoie), Annecy (Haute-Savoie) and the Vercors (Isère).^[11][12] In July 2022, a sequence was shot in Agon-Coutainville (Manche).^[13]

Principal photography concluded in July 2022.^[7]

Release

The film was selected to be screened out of competition at the 76th Cannes Film Festival,^[14] where it had its world premiere on 26 May 2023.^[15]

The film was theatrically released in France by SND on 8 November 2023.^[16]

Reception

Critical response

Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion received an average rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 28 reviews.^[17]

Reviewing the film following its Cannes premiere, Allan Hunter of Screen International praised the film's "handsomely crafted storytelling".^[1]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
César Awards	23 February 2024	Best Actor	Benjamin Lavernhe	Nominated	^[18] ^[19]

See also

• Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre

References

1. Hunter, Allan (26 May 2023). "'L'Abbé Pierre - A Century Of Devotion': Cannes Review". Screen International. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
2. "L'ABBÉ PIERRE - UNE VIE DE COMBATS". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
3. Keslassy, Elsa (28 October 2021). "Famous French Priest Abbé Pierre Gets Biopic Treatment From SND – AFM (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
4. "Abbé Pierre: A Century of Devotion (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
5. "SND et WY Productions préparent un film sur l'Abbé Pierre". Le Film français (in French). 30 January 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
6. "Un film sur l'Abbé Pierre est en préparation". CinéSéries (in French). 4 February 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
7. "Dans les coulisses du vrai premier biopic sur l'abbé Pierre". Le Journal du Dimanche (in French). 30 July 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
8. Lemercier, Fabien (5 May 2023). "SND to sell Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion in Cannes". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
9. (in French). Association Française des Accessoiristes de Plateau (AFAP). Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
10. ""L'abbé Pierre" : dans les coulisses du tournage du film de Frédéric Tellier". RTL (in French). 21 January 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
11. "Rhône-Alpes. Des figurants recherchés pour le tournage d'un film sur l'Abbé Pierre en 2022". Actu.fr (in French). 16 December 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
12. "Des figurants sont recherchés pour un film sur l'abbé Pierre qui sera tourné dans la région en février 2022". Le Dauphiné libéré (in French). 14 December 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
13. "Agon-Coutainville. Recherche de doublures pour le film "Les Onzes [sic] Vies de l'Abbé Pierre"". La Manche libre (in French). 19 July 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
14. "The films of the Official Selection 2023". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
15. mraultpauillac (10 May 2023). "The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
16. "Les distributeurs modifient leurs line-ups". Boxoffice Pro (in French). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
17. "Critiques Presse pour le film L'Abbé Pierre - Une vie de combats". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 29 December 2023.
18. Keslassy, Elsa (24 January 2024). "Cesar Awards Nominations: Thomas Cailley's 'The Animal Kingdom,' Justine Triet's Oscar-Nominated 'Anatomy of a Fall' Lead the Way". Variety. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
19. Roxborough, Scott; Szalai, Georg (24 January 2024). "Cesar Nominations: 'Anatomy of a Fall,' 'The Animal Kingdom' Lead the Pack for French Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 January 2024.

External links

• Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion at IMDb