Les Uns et les Autres (Bolero: Dance of Life) (1981)

67% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
84% of users liked it
(2,037 ratings)

Claude Lelouch's Bolero covers a time span of half a century, concentrating on several generations of music lovers, all hailing from different nations and cultural backgrounds. Each of the principal actors plays multiple characters. Among the cast-members is James Caan, Robert Hossein and Geraldine… More Claude Lelouch's Bolero covers a time span of half a century, concentrating on several generations of music lovers, all hailing from different nations and cultural backgrounds. Each of the principal actors plays multiple characters. Among the cast-members is James Caan, Robert Hossein and Geraldine Chaplin. The film's original title was Les Uns et les autres. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 3 hr. 5 min.
Directed By: Claude Lelouch
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Art House & International, Classics

In Theaters: Dec 31, 1984 Wide
On DVD: Aug 14, 2007

Critic Reviews

Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
[A] disjointed, incoherent mess.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
An important cinematic work which celebrates the human imagination as triumphant.
, Film4
Impossible to synopsize coherently, it doesn't so much tackle themes as lay them out for scrutiny and musical embellishment.
Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser
The songs, written by Michel Legrand and Francis Lai, are addictive in the best French pop manner. A few of the dance sequences are spectacular. Only when the scene shifts to a subplot not involving music does the movie get bogged down.
, Time Out
At one point the narrator berates history for lacking imagination; history, as revealed here, certainly lacks taste, and its imagination could be toned up, but there's no shortage of silly entertainment.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Lelouch doesn't have a handle on his subject.