The Little Thief (1988)
The Little Thief (1988), directed by Claude Miller, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Didier Bezace.
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Synopsis
In a small town in post-WWII France, 16-year-old Janine tries to improve her conditions by any means necessary. Three people—Michel, a married lover; Raoul, a fellow thief; Mauricette, a photographer she meets in prison—will help her learn from her mistakes.
- Dominique ChapuisCinematography
- Claude MillerDirector, Producer, Screenplay
- Albert JurgensonEditing
- Jean-Louis LiviProducer
About the film
The Little Thief (French: La Petite Voleuse) is a 1988 French drama directed by Claude Miller. It is based upon an unfinished script by François Truffaut. Truffaut died before being able to direct the film himself. The film had 1,834,940 admissions in France. Set in the French countryside after the end of World War II, it tells the story of a 15-year-old girl abandoned by her parents, who is looking for love and independence but succumbs to stealing and sleeping with men.
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The Little Thief (French: La Petite Voleuse) is a 1988 French drama directed by Claude Miller. It is based upon an unfinished script by François Truffaut. Truffaut died before being able to direct the film himself. The film had 1,834,940 admissions in France. Set in the French countryside after the end of World War II, it tells the story of a 15-year-old girl abandoned by her parents, who is looking for love and independence but succumbs to stealing and sleeping with men.
Plot
Janine lives with her uncle and aunt, who have little sympathy for her as her mother left her to go with a lover to Italy and she never knew her father. She dreams of luxury, stealing American cigarettes and expensive underwear from shops. When found out, she leaves to become a live-in maid for the Longuets, a rich and friendly young couple. Tired after a long day's work, in the cinema she falls asleep on the shoulder of Michel, a married man in his forties keen on poetry and music. They start an affair, but he also tries to improve her culture and encourages her to study shorthand-typing.
At her course she sees a young intruder robbing the office, but does not inform on him. This is Raoul, who waits outside for her and they too start an affair. He wants money to buy a motor bike for racing, and Janine supplies it by robbing her employers and their guests during a dinner party. The two young criminals go on the run, ending up living rough beside the sea. There Janine is arrested, and sent to a school for young offenders. She and another girl escape, but Janine is now wanted and has nowhere to go. She is also pregnant. After making an appointment with an illegal abortionist, in the cinema she sees a newsreel of soldiers off to the war in Indochina. Among them is Raoul, so she does not keep the appointment and an end caption says that her baby was coming on well.
Cast
Charlotte Gainsbourg as Janine Castang
Didier Bezace as Michel Davenne
Simon de La Brosse as Raoul
Clotilde de Bayser as Severine Longuet
Raoul Billerey as Oncle André Rouleau
Chantal Manlier as Tante Léa
Nathalie Cardone as Mauricette
Renée Faure as Mère Busato
Chantal Neuwirth as The farmer
Catherine Arditi as School director
Dominique Besnehard
Jacky Nercessian
Release
The Little Thief was released in 1988 in France.
References
External links
The Little Thief at IMDb
The Little Thief at Rotten Tomatoes
Text from The Little Thief on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Thief
Trivia
- It grossed US$ 1.1 million worldwide.
- It premiered on December 21, 1988, a Wednesday.
- It runs 1h49 — a typical feature length.
- Its original title is "La Petite Voleuse".
- It won 0 award(s) and received 1 nomination(s) on record at Wikidata — César Award for Best Actress among them.
- This film's quiz has 10 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.
Production
- StudiosOrly Films
- CountriesFrance
- LanguagesFrench
- Box officeUS$ 1,055,416
- StatusReleased
More about this film
Nominations
- César Award for Best Actress 1989
Filming locations
- Gare de Bayeux
Photos
Cast
-
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Janine Castang -
Didier Bezace
Michel Davenne -
Simon de La Brosse
Raoul -
Clotilde de Bayser
Séverine Longuet -
Raoul Billerey
L'oncle André Rouleau -
Chantal Banlier
La tante Léa Rouleau - Nathalie Cardone Mauricette
-
Renée Faure
La Mére Busato -
Catherine Arditi
la directrice de l'école -
Pierre Maguelon
M. Fauvel -
Marion Grimault
Kebadian
Quiz about this movie
Questions from the whole catalogue.
Play nowIf you liked this one
-
Conto de Inverno
7.0
-
Os Sonhadores
7.2
-
Em Segredo
6.1
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Love
6.5
-
Jules e Jim - Uma Mulher Para Dois
7.5
-
As Coisas da Vida
7.1
-
Calor Mortífero
5.8
-
Stephane
6.9
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Ligações Perigosas Drama from the 1980s
7.2
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Perfume: A História de um Assassino
7.4
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Paixão Sufocante
6.0
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Parceiros do Crime
6.2
Tags
Crew
- Dominique Chapuis Cinematography
- Claude Miller Director
- Albert Jurgenson Editing
- Claude Miller Producer
- Jean-Louis Livi Producer
- Annie Miller Screenplay
- Claude de Givray Story
- Claude Miller Screenplay
- François Truffaut Story
- Luc Béraud Screenplay
Questions about this film
What is The Little Thief about?
The Little Thief: In a small town in post-WWII France, 16-year-old Janine tries to improve her conditions by any means necessary. Three people—Michel, a married lover; Raoul, a fellow thief; Mauricette, a photographer she meets in prison—will help her learn from her mistakes.
Who directed The Little Thief?
The Little Thief was directed by Claude Miller in 1988.
Who stars in The Little Thief?
The cast of The Little Thief includes Charlotte Gainsbourg, Didier Bezace, Simon de La Brosse, Clotilde de Bayser and Raoul Billerey.
How long is The Little Thief?
The Little Thief runs for 109 minutes, or 1h49.
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Page updated on 09/14/2026.
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