Bolero: Dance of Life (Les uns et les autres) 43 years old
The film is a musical epic and it is widely considered as the director's best work with Un Homme et une Femme.
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.
Credits
Bolero: Dance of Life Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| James Caan He was 41, now 84 years old | as Jack Glenn / Jason Glenn |
| Geraldine Chaplin She was 36, now 80 years old | as Suzan / Sara Glenn |
| Fanny Ardant She was 32, now 75 years old | as Véronique |
| Éva Darlan She was 32, now 76 years old | as Eva |
| Paul Préboist He was 53, 69 years old when he died | as Le grand-père d'Edith |
| Jacques Villeret He was 30, 53 years old when he died | as Jacques |
| Alexandra Stewart She was 41, now 85 years old | as Alexandra |
| Daniel Olbrychski He was 36, now 79 years old | as Karl Kremer |
| Macha Méril She was 40, now 84 years old | as Magda Kremer |
| Jean-Claude Brialy He was 48, 74 years old when he died | as Le directeur du Lido |
| Francis Huster He was 33, now 76 years old | as Francis |
| Geneviève Mnich She was 39, now 82 years old | as Jeanne |
| Marthe Villalonga She was 49, now 92 years old | as La grand-mère d'Edith |
| Robert Hossein He was 53, now 96 years old | as Simon Meyer / Robert Prat |
| Richard Bohringer He was 39, now 82 years old | as Richard |
| Manuel Gélin He was 22, now 66 years old | as Patrick Prat |
| Jean-Pierre Castaldi He was 36, now 80 years old | |
| Andy Fenwick | as Glenn as a boy |
| Nicole Daresco | as Gina |
| Thérèse Crémieux | |
| Nicole Croisille She was 44, now 88 years old | as Nicole Croisille |
| Jean-Pierre Kalfon He was 42, now 86 years old | as Père Antoine |
| Raymond Pellegrin He was 56, 82 years old when he died | as M. Raymond |
| Christophe Bourseiller He was 23, now 67 years old | |
| Mireille Audibert She was 36, 48 years old when she died | |
| Anne Caudry She was 23, 34 years old when she died | as La fille d'Eva |
| Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu He was 31, 61 years old when he died | as Le représentant Croix Rouge (UNICEF) |
| Katalin Csarny | |
| Jorge Donn He was 34, 44 years old when he died | as Boris & Sergei Itovitch / Lead Dancer of Boléro |
| Maxime Dufeu | as Le voisin |
| Andrée Delair | |
| Evelyne Hue | |
| Dan Daes | |
| Linda Dingwall | |
| Nicole Garcia She was 35, now 78 years old | as Anne Meyer |
| Féodor Atkine He was 33, now 76 years old | as Alexis |
| Sarah Abrell | |
| Maïa Simon She was 41, 67 years old when she died | as Me Isabelle Prat |
| Jean-Claude Bouttier He was 36, 74 years old when he died | as Philippe Rouget |
| Farmer Fuller | |
| Candice Patou She was 34, now 77 years old | as Candice |
| Louise Chevalier She was 84, 89 years old when she died | as La bonne du Père Antoine |
| Philippe Jacques | |
| Charles Gérard He was 54, 92 years old when he died | as Charlot |
| Ginette Garcin She was 53, 82 years old when she died | as Ginette |
| Véronique Coquet | |
| Rita Poelvoorde She was 30, now 73 years old | as Tatiana & Tania Itovitch |
| Évelyne Bouix She was 28, now 71 years old | as Evelyne / Edith |
| Ernie Garrett | as Bobby |
| Gérard Ismaël | |
| Lyle Joyce | as Mr. Tracy |
| Jean-Claude Bourbault He was 28, now 71 years old | as Le garde-barrière |
Bolero: Dance of Life Crew
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| Jean Boffety as Director of Photography. He was 55 (63) years old when He died | Camera |
| Sophie Bhaud as Editor. She was 42 (now 85) years old | Editing |
| Hugues Darmois as Editor. He was 18 (now 24) years old | Editing |
| Michel Legrand as Music. He was 49 (86) years old when He died | Sound |
Bolero: Dance of Life (43 years)
The film is a musical epic and it is widely considered as the director's best work with Un Homme et une Femme.
- Release day: Wednesday, May 27, 1981
- Runtime: 184 minutes