Click through for trailer of Au Revoir Les Enfants

Click through for trailer of Empire of the Sun.

Click through for trailer of Hope and Glory.

The film Au Revoir Les Enfants was not the only film during its time to explore how children respond to war.  A newspaper article from USA Today shows that there were two other films that caught the attention of the Oscars: Hope and Glory and Empire of the Sun (Clark).  All three films were nominated for Oscars, and all three are about children in World War II.  According to an article written by Yvonne Kozlovsky-Golan, this should be no surprise.  Golan argues, "Since the 1980's, images of child victims and survivors of World War II in Europe have captured the imagination of filmmakers worldwide, since they are perceived as a reliable reflection of the war and its horrors" (54).  Looking at the Oscar nominations for 1988, it looks like Golan was correct.  Films about children in World War II are a popular category, even today.  

The United States of America is not the only country fascinated with children in war, but it definitely has a strong fascination for it.  Au Revoir Les Enfants was nominated for the Oscars "Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen" and "Best Foreign Language Film" ("Au Revoir ... Awards").  Golan poses that Americans seem to be fascinated specifically by the Holocaust, pointing out, " ... beginning in the late 1960's and continuing to the present, American films, made for the most part in Hollywood, began to tell the story of the Holocaust as a separate theme" (56).  And indeed there are many films about the Holocaust, such as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Devil's Arithmetic, and Schindler's List, to name a few.  Au Revoir Les Enfants does not show, or talk about, the Holocaust, but it certainly hints at it.  Golan also points out that filmmakers recognize how this historical setting makes it easy to send important messages to audiences.  She exaplins, "The theme of learning universal lessons from history and about the horror of killing children in particular was presented to the public from a place unworthy of the subject yet perfectly expected in terms of the period and place: it was through The Sound of Music, a film for the entire family" (58).  This film is just one of many that have continued to tackle the theme of learning from World War II.  Au Revoir Les Enfants is one of these films, along with others like The Sound of Music, The Book Thief, and The Diary of Anne Frank.  America seems fascinated by the mere setting of children in World War II (see gallery below).  Even without trying to teach us a historical message, this setting has served many other films like Bedknobs and Broomsticks; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and even Return to Neverland.  The list of films stretches on and on.

These are just a few of the many films that incorporate the setting of children in World War II.  Au Revoir Les Enfants claims to be unique by stating it's an autobiography of the film director Louis Malle's childhood.  And while this is technically true, the actual story of Au Revoir Les Enfants is not that unique, and may just be another story that fits the formula to win awards.