Click here for the Official Site

If you enjoyed The Lord of the Rings, you definitely shouldn't miss Le Petit Poucet, although director Olivier Dahan's ogre character is an altogether different proposition.

Le Petit Poucet is both an original and frightening re-working of the classic fable of Tom Thumb. Cruelly rejected by his peasant parents and constantly bullied by his four elder brothers, Tom is befriended by Rose, a mysterious fairy girl. Civil war breaks out, ravaging their country and Tom and his family are soon on the verge of starvation. The children are abandoned by their desperate parents and left to fend for themselves in an enchanted forest, where they encounter dangerous predators hiding in every dark corner. Vicious wolves and deadly warriors scour the trees and undergrowth searching for their next victims. The boys take refuge in an isolated castle only to be captured by the figure that haunts Tom Thumb's nightmares - an evil man-eating Ogre. As they flee for their lives, only Tom's newfound courage and cunning can save them, and the kingdom.

Adopting Charles Perrault's story as a starting point, Olivier Dahan has produced a spectacular film in which a small child's fear of the world is hauntingly conveyed through an outstanding ensemble all-star cast, which includes Romane Bohringer, Catherine Deneuve, Elodie Bouchez, Said Taghmaoui and Dominique Hulin. The elaborate production design alone makes this a must-see film, made to appeal to adult fans of fantasy adventure, as opposed to young children. Shrek this is most certainly not!

"Making marvellous use of his sets (the) director succeeds in creating a climate of anguish, which is highly evocative of childhood fears. A triumph." (Olivier Bonnard - Nouvel Observateur)

2001 France (85 min.)

Directed by Olivier Dahan
Writing Credits Charles Perrault, Olivier Dahan
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Romane Bohringer, Elodie Bouchez, Sami Nacéri, Nils Hugon, Pierre Berriau, Dominique Hulin
Distributed by: Bac Film.