A Nous la Liberté (Liberty for Us) (1931)

100% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(2,276 ratings)

À Nous la Liberté is an early talkie from French filmmaker René Clair. Louis (Raymond Cordy) and Emile (Henri Marchand) are a pair of convicts whose lives take decidely different paths after prison. Emile works his way up the ladder of capitalism, becoming a phonograph factory boss, a job that finds… More À Nous la Liberté is an early talkie from French filmmaker René Clair. Louis (Raymond Cordy) and Emile (Henri Marchand) are a pair of convicts whose lives take decidely different paths after prison. Emile works his way up the ladder of capitalism, becoming a phonograph factory boss, a job that finds him overseeing a bleak outfit of automatous drones. Louis, on the other hand, lives the life of a poverty-stricken vagabond. Despite their contrasting lots, the pair meet up again later in life. À Nous la Liberté is perhaps best remembered for being the main inspiration for Charlie Chaplin's 1936 classic Modern Times. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 27 min.
Directed By: René Clair
Written By: René Clair
Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Art House & International, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 31, 1931 Limited
On DVD: Aug 20, 2002
Studio: Harold Auten

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
A period piece in the best sense.
Mordaunt Hall, New York Times
A Nous, la Liberté is assuredly different from any other screen feature. It bristles with strange originality.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Compared to his contemporaries Jean Renoir and Jean Vigo, Clair was a minor talent, though both of these films do contain innovative uses of sound mixed with silent film.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
...displays Clair's mastery of artful whimsy by mixing sound (especially song), sweet-faced storytelling, and visual skill.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
This DVD edition ... is everything we've come to expect from Criterion. The new digital transfer is created from a 35mm composite fine-grain master.... Also here is Entr'acte (1924), a 20-minute toy of trick photography and playful humor...
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
It's well worth a look today as simultaneously vindicating Clair's former high reputation and his subsequent expulsion from most critical pantheons.
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television
Influential French comedy about a world beyond work.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
One of French director Rene Clair's great films, this 1931 poignant exploration of the working conditions of industrial laborers was nominated for the Interior Decoration Oscar.
Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian
The French have no equal when it comes to perfectly aligned bottom-kicking, showing revulsion at the ill-breeding of others, or performing semi-socialist slapstick.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
All of the layers are brought together through Clair's clever use of sound and image.
Jurgen Fauth, About.com
Its themes are couched in so much wit and silliness that it doesn't take a communist to enjoy it.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Wildly funny, endlessly creative, experimental and utterly charming, it is a too-often overlooked classic.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
Deserves to come out from under the long shadows cast by Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, and bask in the adulation of a whole new generation of filmgoers.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
a delightfully radical farce about freeing oneself from the controls of social and economic oppression
Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal
If the notion of a 1931 semi-silent French movie doesn't scare you off, this minor masterpiece might be worth checking out. Political historians and film fanatics will be especially interested.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Pioneering... extravagant.

Read all 16 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

A great movie with a great message.
Elvira B

A very fun little gem. It's very clasically cute, with all its slapstick and its musicalization. The story is a critical comparison of a prison and a factory! Chaplin drew inspiration from it for Modern Times. It isn't a must see but it's one of those movies that can be… More
A very fun little gem. It's very clasically cute, with all its slapstick and its musicalization. The story is a critical comparison of a prison and a factory! Chaplin drew inspiration from it for Modern Times. It isn't a must see but it's one of those movies that can be appreciated for their simplicity, their wit and their charm.