It is a strange war that is taking place right now in movie theaters all across France. For years, the country has been waiting for a remake of one of the greatest classics of French cinema, La guerre des boutons (The War of the Buttons) directed by Yves Robert (My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle) and released in 1962 to huge box office acclaim.

In this gentle juvenile comedy, a bunch of kids from two neighbouring villages, Longeverne and Velrans, battle each other, with the victors claiming the buttons off the clothes of the vanquished. Now nearly half a century later, to the public's surprise, and probably dismay, there is not one, but two remakes, being released within just a week of each other.

The first movie started the hostilities when it was released on September the 14th. It is directed by Yann Samuell ('Love Me If You Dare') and produced by Marc du Pontavice. Shot in the Limousin and Poitou-Charentes, the movie bears exactly the same name as the original and is set in the 1960s, with the backdrop of the Algerian war. It stars Eric Elmosino ('Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life'), Mathilde Seigner ('Time Regained'), Alain Chabat ('French Twist') and Fred Testot.

The second one, released on the 21st, has been renamed La Nouvelle Guerre des Boutons ('The New War of the Buttons') and is set in the 1940's, allowing for the introduction of new characters such as a little Jewish child in hiding. Produced by Thomas Langmann ('Asterix and the Olympic Games'), the film is directed by Christophe Barratier ('The Chorus') and features a glamorous cast that includes the highly popular Guillaume Canet ('The Beach'), Victoria Secret model-turned actress Laetitia Casta and two actors from 'The Chorus', Kad Merad and Gerard Jugnot.

Many attempts have been made to persuade one or other of the producers to drop their project, but being backed by powerful distributors, neither party was ready to yield and instead started a real race against time to release their movie first. It is pretty sad when you consider that the 1912 novel by Louis Pergaud upon which the movie is based was an anti-war book!

Now it remains to be seen whether one movie will prevail over the other. Movie viewers may not be interested in seeing a film based on the same story twice. Put off by this battle of big money and bigger egos, they may even decide to wait for the release of a digital- mastered version of the original 1962 film scheduled for October.

Lead image 'La Guerre des Boutons' (1962) © Warner Bros., France

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