Madame Rosa

Madame Rosa
Film poster
Directed byMoshé Mizrahi
Written byMoshé Mizrahi
Produced byJean Bolvary
StarringSimone Signoret
Michal Bat-Adam
Samy Ben-Youb
Gabriel Jabbour
Geneviève Fontanel
CinematographyNéstor Almendros
Edited bySophie Coussein
Music byDabket Loubna
Philippe Sarde
Distributed byWarner Bros.
(through Warner-Columbia Film)
Release date
  • 2 November 1977 (1977-11-02)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Box office$2.6 million[1]

Madame Rosa (French: La vie devant soi) is a 1977 French drama film directed by Moshé Mizrahi, adapted from the 1975 novel The Life Before Us by Romain Gary. It stars Simone Signoret and Samy Ben-Youb, and tells the story of an elderly Jewish woman and former prostitute in Paris who cares for a number of children, including an adolescent Algerian boy. The film required a transformation in Signoret's appearance as Madame Rosa.

The film was viewed in context of Arab–Israeli conflicts, and received positive reviews. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, while Signoret won the César Award for Best Actress for her performance.

  1. ^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 302. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada