The Two of Us (1967)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Sweet Berri

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Claude Berri's delightful WWII-era crowd-pleaser The Two of Us (1967) tells the story of a crusty old anti-Semite (Michel Simon) who agrees to look after a nine year-old Jewish boy (Alain Cohen) during the summer of 1944, though the boy's true identity remains secret. Nothing of consequence really happens, but Berri, the consumate gentle storyteller, allows events to unfold in a non-linear fashion as the old man and the boy grow more and more fond of one another. One of the cinema's greatest actors, Simon (La Chienne, L'Atalante) gives yet another fine performance. Rialto Pictures has restored and re-released this classic. Twenty years later, Berri scored an even bigger hit with Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring.