The Schoolmaster: why was Coluche in the midst of depression during the filming of this film?

Released in cinemas in 1981, the movie called The Schoolmasterworn by Coluche, Josiane BalaskoCharlotte de Turckheim and Roland Giraudwill be rebroadcast Sunday, August 21, 2022, from 9:05 p.m. on TMC. Realized by Claude Berrythis feature film features the character of Gérard Barbier, portrayed on screen by Colouche. A clothing salesman, he was fired for defending a child caught stealing boots. He then decided to become a teacher. Once at school, he realizes that the profession of teacher is in fact not quite as he imagined.

In fact, The Schoolmaster is freely inspired by Memoirs of an educator, a novel written by Jules Celma. The latter also officiates as co-screenwriter of the feature film alongside Claude Berri. With this movie, the director wished, under the guise of comedy, to demonstrate how difficult the teaching profession is. In an interview with the magazine First when the film was released, the filmmaker declared that he wanted to explain how much, for a teacher, “the border is fragile between freedom and discipline“. Nevertheless, he wanted above all, with this comedy, to challenge “children and adolescents, all those who have suffered and still suffer at school!“.

The Schoolmaster: Coluche’s wife had just left him before the shooting

For the record, Coluche was in deep depression when he shot in this film. In fact, his wife had just left him with their two sons, leaving him completely distraught. Whether the comedian slowly began to descend into alcohol and drugs at the time, however, he remained very professional on set. Once the shooting was over, Coluche was confronted with a new drama in his personal life: the suicide of his faithful friend Patrick Dewaère. The latter died after shooting himself in the mouth with the .22 Long Rifle that Coluche had given him. Adrift, the comedian will resurface in 1983 with Tchao Pantinin which he exorcised his depression. His performance in this cult film allowed him to win the César for best actor.

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