French postcard by Editions La Malibran, Paris, in the Collection Cinéma, no. CF 70. Photo: Martin Lartigue as Petit Gibus in La guerre des boutons/The War of the Buttons (Yves Robert, 1962).
Big French postcard by Les Cinemas Independants Parisiennes, Paris. Photo: publicity still for La guerre des boutons/The War of the Buttons (Yves Robert, 1962).
This calls for revenge
La guerre des boutons/The War of the Buttons (Yves Robert, 1962) is based on 'La Guerre des boutons', a novel by Louis Pergaud (1882–1915), who was killed in action in World War I. His works portray a fervent anti-militarism.
At the beginning of a new school year, it is customary for the children of the village of Longeverne and the children of the neighbouring village of Velrans to clash. The children then fight a real war. The boys from Longeverne are angry with the boys from the neighbouring village of Velrans because they have snatched away all their customers by selling tuberculosis stamps.
This calls for revenge, so the boys from Longeverne, led by their leader Lebrac, go to war against the boys from Velrans. When the boys from Longeverne take a prisoner during the battle, Lebrac comes up to dishonour the prisoner. He cuts all the buttons off his clothes so that he has to walk home with his clothes in tatters.
During the boys' next battle, Lebrac is captured again and stripped of his buttons. When he returns home with his clothes torn, his brutal father beats him up for it. But Lebrac is used to being beaten by his father and does not let this stop him from playing war games.
His new plan is to go into battle naked to avoid dishonour during a battle. And so the boys from Longeverne fight naked against the boys from Velrans. Although they win the battle, they can't celebrate their victory because it gives them colds. So Lebrac comes up with a new ruse.
French postcard by Carterie artistique et cinématographique, Pont du Casse in the Encyclopédie du Cinéma / A.D.A.G.P, Paris, no. EDC 1859. Poster illustration: Raymond Savignac. Poster for La guerre des boutons/The War of the Buttons (Yves Robert, 1962).
French postcard by Carterie artistique et cinématographique, Pont du Casse in the Encyclopédie du Cinéma / A.D.A.G.P, Paris, no. EDC 3177. Poster illustration: Raymond Savignac. Poster for La guerre des boutons/The War of the Buttons (Yves Robert, 1962).
Anyone who watches the movie will love him
Yves Robert had previously worked mainly as an actor and gained recognition as a director with this film. He remained largely faithful to Louis Pergaud's children's book but moved the plot - set at the beginning of the 20th century - to the present day.
La guerre des boutons/The War of the Buttons (Yves Robert, 1962) stars young and largely untrained actors including André Treton as Lebrac, Michel Isella as l'Aztec and Martin Lartigue as Petit Gibus. Petit Gibus's line of dialogue - uttered in frustration - 'Si j'aurais su, j'aurais pas v'nu' ("If I woulda known, I wouldn'ta come), with its incorrect grammar (the correct form should be: "Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venu") has become a familiar tagline in France (the line was not in the original novel).
DB DuMonteil at IMDb: "Yves Robert transposed the action to the rural sixties. He gathered lots and lots of children whom he directed masterfully. "Magna cum laude", first class honours, for young Petit Gibus! Anyone who watches the movie will love him: he's so funny when he gets drunk! Shot in black and white, the film will remind you of your schooldays."
La guerre des boutons/The War of the Buttons (1962) won France's Prix Jean Vigo. There have been several film adaptations. The first, directed by Jacques Daroy, was released in 1936. The film was remade in Ireland in 1994 as War of the Buttons, in an Irish setting. In 2011, two different film adaptations were released in French cinemas at the same time to mark the upcoming 100th anniversary of the novel.
In 2018, a board game of the same name was released using the book and film as a basis. Andreas Steding created the game with a graphic design by Harald Lieske. German publisher ADC Blackfire Entertainment GmbH published the game.
French photo. Publicity still for La guerre des boutons/The War of the Buttons (Yves Robert, 1962).
Sources: DB DuMonteil (IMDb), Wikipedia (French, German, Dutch and English) and IMDb.
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