The Eighth Day (1996 film)

Le huitième jour
Directed by	Jaco Van Dormael
Written by	Jaco Van Dormael
Produced by	Philippe Godeau Dominique Josset Eric Rommeluere
Starring	Daniel Auteuil Pascal Duquenne Miou-Miou
Cinematography	Walther van den Ende
Edited by	Susana Rossberg
Music by	Pierre Van Dormael
Running time	118 minutes
Country	Template:Film Belgium
Language	French

Le huitième jour (English: The Eighth Day) is a Belgian 1996 film that tells the story of the friendship that develops between two men who meet by chance. Harry (Daniel Auteuil), a divorced businessman who feels alienated from his children, meets Georges (Pascal Duquenne), an institutionalised man with Down's syndrome, after Georges has escaped from his mental institution and is nearly run over by Harry.

The film was written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael. Some scenes in the film appear as dream sequences, often employing magical realism. The music of Luis Mariano ("Mexico," and "Maman, Tu Es La Plus Belle Du Monde") is used in these scenes, with actor Laszlo Harmati playing Mariano, who died in 1970. The original music score is from Pierre Van Dormael, Jaco's brother.

Cast

• Daniel Auteuil - Harry
• Pascal Duquenne - Georges
• Miou-Miou - Julie
• Henri Garcin - The director of the bank
• Isabelle Sadoyan - Georges' Mother
• Michele Maes - Nathalie
• Fabienne Loriaux - Fabienne
• Hélène Roussel - Julie's mother
• Alice van Dormael - Alice
• Juliette Van Dormael - Juliette
• Didier De Neck - Fabienne's husband
• Marie-Pierre Meinzel
• Sabrina Leurquin - Waitress in fast food restaurant
• Laszlo Harmati - Luis Mariano

Awards

This film was nominated for the Palme d'Or award, the top prize at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. It did win the Best Actor award at the festival, which was given to both Pascal Duquenne and Daniel Auteuil. This was the first time in the festival's history that two actors had shared the award.

The film was also nominated for a César Award and a Golden Globe award.

See also

• List of Belgian submissions for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

External links

• Le Huitième Jour at IMDb