The Children of the Marshland

The Children of the Marshland (French: Les Enfants du marais) is a 1999 French film directed by Jean Becker.

The Children of the Marshland
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jean Becker
Screenplay by	Sébastien Japrisot
Based on	Les Enfants du marais by Georges Montforez
Produced by	Christian Fechner
Starring	Jacques Villeret Jacques Gamblin André Dussollier Michel Serrault Isabelle Carré Suzanne Flon Jacques Dufilho Eric Cantona
Cinematography	Jean-Marie Dreujou
Edited by	Jacques Witta
Music by	Pierre Bachelet
Distributed by	UGC-Fox Distribution
Release date	3 March 1999 (1999-03-03)
Running time	115 minutes
Country	France
Language	French
Budget	€9.2 million[1]
Box office	$11.3 million[1]

Plot

The film is set in a marsh, along the banks of Loire river, about ten years after the great war. Riton is afflicted with a bad-tempered wife and three unruly children. Garris lives alone with his recollections of World War I trenches. Their daily life consists of seasonal work and visits from their two pals: Tane, the local train conductor and Amédée, a dreamer and voracious reader of classics.

Cast

• Jacques Villeret as Riton
• Jacques Gamblin as Garris
• André Dussollier as Amédée
• Michel Serrault as Pépé la Rainette
• Isabelle Carré as Marie
• Eric Cantona as Jo Sardi
• Jacques Boudet as Tane
• Suzanne Flon as Old Cri Cri
• Jacques Dufilho as Old man
• Gisèle Casadesus as Madame Mercier
• Roland Magdane as Felix
• Anne Le Guernec as Mireille

Production

Filming took place entirely in Rhône-Alpes:^[2]

• Ain (Colomieu, Montmerle-sur-Saône, Trévoux, Cerdon, Fareins)
• Rhône (Lyon, Morancé, Villefranche-sur-Saône, Cogny)
• Ardèche (Lamastre)

• Lac d'Arboréiaz
• 
  Riton's shack
• 
  Pond near Riton's shack
• 
  General view of the pond

Box office

The film was one of the highest grossing French films for the year, with a gross of $11.3 million.^[1][3]