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      Zazie in the Subway

      Released Oct 28, 1960 1h 30m Comedy List
      78% Tomatometer 18 Reviews 77% Audience Score 1,000+ Ratings An 11-year-old girl causes chaos on the streets of Paris after she runs away from her transvestite uncle. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (18) Critics Reviews
      Geoffrey Nowell-Smith Sight & Sound If the whole of Zazie were as good as some of its ideas then the effort might be worth while. But the film is, in the last analysis, a failure. Mar 6, 2020 Full Review Ty Burr Entertainment Weekly So inventive that it's exhausting, this is a rare thing indeed -- a family film for cynics. May 30, 2011 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Arguably Louis Malle's best work. May 30, 2011 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand ... looks back to silent movies, surrealist shorts, Looney Tune cartoons, and the absurdist visual gags of Frank Tashlin and Jerry Lewis comedies, as much as it looks forward to the playful anything-goes experimentation of the French New Wave. Jul 9, 2022 Full Review Dwight MacDonald Esquire Magazine Zazie faithfully reproduces all its externals, but it misses the innocence and spontaneity and lack of self-consciousness that makes these externals charming. And funny. Jul 31, 2019 Full Review Eric Melin Scene-Stealers.com Malle uses tons of editing tricks, both crude and cutting edge for the time, and turns Paris into a wild playground for a wonderfully anarchic romp. Rated: 3/4 Sep 9, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      Audience Member Great French film, what an excellent job and recordings. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Funny and surreal. This is an entertaining and creative movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A strange and intoxicating fun-fest of a film. Makes me long to be a part of its kinetic and eccentric madness. A memorable chase through the streets of a Paris gone by. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Manic, nearly anarchic, comedy from Louis Malle (only his third feature) that sees a cute and precocious 10-year-old running around Paris being chased by various adults. She's been left with her uncle (Philippe Noiret) who seems to be a drag queen at a nightclub (although married to lovely Albertine, played by Carla Marlier). Zazie's main pursuer is Trouscaillon (Vittorio Caprioli) who takes on various roles but is probably a cop. She primarily wants to ride on the Métro but is prevented because the workers are on strike (causing massive traffic jams that create even more chaos). Instead, Zazie takes in some scenic locales such as the Eiffel Tower where the principals seem to be engaged in some dangerous stunts (with great views of the city). Ultimately, this may be a film that loses a lot in translation (through both space and time) with some jokes that work best in French (a lot of wordplay, judging by the forced misspellings in the subtitles) and in 1960 (Jonathan Rosenbaum suggests that there are references to 1950s films here, probably French ones, that I didn't catch). However, the main influences are worn on the sleeve (Tati and the Marx Bros. primarily), so if you like them, this may be your thing. Yet, after all this running around, the film does feel a bit pointless -- but it's worth watching for its crazy energy and Malle's willingness to experiment with his camera and the mise en scène (sped up shots, cartoonish slapstick, destruction of the set at the end). Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review kevin w Borrowing stylistically from both silent film and cartoons, this visit to Paris circa 1960 is filled with zany wacky fun, yes, but often the feeling that remains is that the effort was a trifle forced, and perhaps disguising a latent anger verging towards hysteria and even violence. This tone permeates this vital look at postwar France (15 years on) and is a necessary look therefore at the psychological remnants of occupation. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member What a strange comedy from Louis Malle, using so many cinematic styles, not only Hollywood slapstick comedies but also spoofing the Nouvelle Vague. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Zazie in the Subway

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis An 11-year-old girl causes chaos on the streets of Paris after she runs away from her transvestite uncle.
      Director
      Louis Malle
      Screenwriter
      Jean-Paul Rapponeau, Louis Malle
      Production Co
      Nouvelles Éditions de Films (NEF)
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      French (Canada)
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Oct 28, 1960, Original
      Release Date (DVD)
      Jun 28, 2011
      Runtime
      1h 30m