In a dilapidated apartment in Belleville, Madame Rosa, a former prostitute now aged 67, looks after the children of her younger sisters. Madame Rosa is Jewish. She experienced deportation to Auschwitz. Since then, her nights have been filled with nightmares. Momo, 14, a young Arab neglected by his parents, does small services to the old lady who has infinite tenderness for him. The two are very closely related. After several years of complicity with all her proteges, Rosa is forced to part with them. Sick, she no longer has the strength or attention to deal with it. Desperate, she makes Momo promise to do everything possible so that she is never hospitalized...

A film by Moshé MIZRAHI

starring Simone Signoret, Samy Ben Youb, Michal Bat-Adam, Geneviève Fontanel, Claude Dauphin

France, 1977, Feature Narrative, 1h35, Comedy / Drama, color, 1.66 : 1, 35 mm

Runtime: 1 hr 45 min (105 min)
Sound Mix: Mono
Color: Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66 : 1
Negative Format: 35 mm
Printed Film Format: 35 mm

Original Title (French): LA VIE DEVANT SOI
International Title: MADAME ROSA
Other titles : A Life Ahead / Madame Rosa / Life before Him
Autres titres : A Life Ahead / Madame Rosa / Life before Him
Also Known As (AKA):
Argentina: Madame Rosa
Belgium (Flemish title): Het leven voor de boeg
Brazil: Madame Rosa - A Vida à Sua Frente
Canada (French title): La vie devant soi
Denmark: Du har jo livet for dig
Finland: Madame Rosa
France: La vie devant soi
Greece: Μαντάμ Ρόζα
Hungary: Előttem az élet
Italy: La vita davanti a sé
Japan (Japanese title): これからの人生
Mexico: Madame Rosa
Norway: Med livet foran seg
Poland: Życie przed sobą
Portugal: A Vida à Sua Frente
Soviet Union (Russian title): Вся жизнь впереди
Spain: Madame Rosa
Sweden: Madame Rosa
Turkey (Turkish title): Onca yoksulluk varken
Ukraine: Все життя попереду
UK: Madame Rosa
USA: Madame Rosa
West Germany: Madame Rosa
World-wide (English title) (informal literal title): Life Before Him
World-wide (English title) (literal title): A Life Ahead

Produced by Daniel Pomerantz
Ralph Baum... executive producer
Jean Bolvary... producer
Raymond Danon... supervising producer

Directed by Moshé Mizrahi

film adaption of the novel "The Life Before Us" (1975; French: "La vie devant soi"), authored by Romain Gary under the pseudonym of Émile Ajar, published by Éditions Mercure de France.
Through his double identity, Gary, who had already received the Prix Goncourt in 1956 for Les Racines du ciel, received it again, in 1975 for La vie devant soi, becoming the first writer to be twice attributed the highly coveted award

Writer (novel): Romain Gary (as Emile Ajar)
Adaptation: Moshé Mizrahi
Screenwriter: Moshé Mizrahi
Music by Dabket Loubna, Philippe Sarde
Cinematography by Néstor Almendros... (as Nestor Almendros)
Sound: Jean-Pierre Ruh
Film Editor: Sophie Coussein
Production Design: Bernard Evein
Costume Design: Jacques Fonteray
Script supervisor: Ariane Litaize
Production manager: André Hoss
Assistant production manager: Alain Depardieu
First assistant director: Tony Aboyantz
Second assistant director: Emmanuel Fonlladosa
Assistant art director: Georges Glon
Boom operator: Louis Gimel
Camera operator: Bernard Auroux
Second assistant camera: Florent Bazin
Electrician: Jean-Claude Gasché
Camera intern: Tessa Racin
Assistant editor: Corinne Lazare
Musician (violin solo): Ivry Gitlis...


CAST
Simone Signoret
Simone Signoret... Madame Rosa
Michal Bat-Adam... Nadine
Samy Ben-Youb... Momo
Gabriel Jabbour... Monsieur Hamil
Geneviève Fontanel... Maryse
Bernard Lajarrige... Louis Charmette - un retraité SNCF
Mohamed Zinet... Kadir Youssef
Elio Bencoil... Moïse
Stella Annicette... Madame Lola
El Kebir... Mimoun
Ibrahim Seck... N'Da Ameder
Math Samba... Walloumba
Claude Dauphin... Le docteur Katz
Théo Légitimus... Monsieur Boro
Nadia Samir
Elisabeth Margoni
Renata Flores (as Renata)...
Jacqueline Rouillard
Ghazy Younès
Fabien Belhassen
Jacky Belhassen
Costa-Gavras... Le docteur Ramon

Production Company:
Lira Films

Distributors:
Warner-Columbia Film (1977) (France) (theatrical)
Warner Home Vidéo (1993) (France) (VHS)
Atlantic Releasing Corporation (1978) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
Warner Bros. Pictures (1978) (Argentina) (theatrical)
Warner Bros. (1979) (Japan) (theatrical)
FR3 (1985) (France) (TV)
France 2 (FR2) (2012) (France) (TV)
M6 (1989) (France) (TV)
Paris Première (2004) (France) (TV)
Télé Monté Carlo (TMC) (2008) (France) (TV)
Téva (2004) (France) (TV)
Téva (2005) (France) (TV)

AWARDS

2021 | Cinés Métis (Angoulême, France)
* Selection
* Screening: Sunday 12 Sept 2021, 2PM, at Cinéma de la Cité, Q&A after with Sofia Aouine, guest writer (Littératures Métisses)

1978 | Academy Awards, USA
* Winner: Oscar (Best Foreign Language Film, France)
www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1978

1978 | César Awards (Paris, France)
* Winner: César - Best Actress (Meilleure actrice), to Simone Signoret
* Nominee: César - Best Production Design (Meilleurs décors), to Bernard Evein
* Nominee: César - Best Sound (Meilleur son), to Jean-Pierre Ruh

1978 | David di Donatello Awards (Italy)
* Winner: David - Best Foreign Actress (Migliore Attrice Straniera), to Simone Signoret /// Tied with Jane Fonda for Julia (1977).

1978 | Golden Globes (USA)
* Nominee: Golden Globe - Best Foreign Film, France

1978 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association - LAFCA Awards (USA)
* Winner: LAFCA Award - Best Foreign Film, to Moshé Mizrahi

1978 | National Board of Review (USA)
* Winner: NBR Award - Top Foreign Films

1979 | Turkish Film Critics Association (SIYAD) Awards (Turkey)
* Nominee: SIYAD Award - Best Foreign Film