Fanfan la Tulipe: what age is it for?
In France, zinema would say 8.
Alone, or with you
Alone from 10; from 9, with an adult or by talking about it afterwards.
What it's about
Fanfan is a young handsome peasant. He joins the army to escape marriage because a gypsy girl predicted he will get glory and the king's daughter as a wife. But the gypsy girl was in fact Adeline, the daughter of the recruiting officer. Once he has discovered the stratagem, Fanfan refuses to forget this dream and decides to fulfill the destiny of the fake prediction.
Why 10
- The king demands a young womanTo win a pardon for the man she loves, a young woman is brought to the king, who asks her to pay with a moment in his company. She refuses, begs him not to touch her, and slaps him. Nothing is shown, everything is said, and it is the film's one serious scene.said
- A hanging that looks realTwo friends are sentenced to hang, with drums, farewells and the rope round their necks, before a crowd where children ask where the men get hooked up. The film plays with the fear before turning it around.shown
- Duels, brawls and gunfireA duel on barrels of gunpowder, bandits cut to pieces off screen, a carriage chase under fire. All of it at comedy pace, with no blood on screen.shown
- Bawdy and smoky, 1952 styleThe hero is caught with a girl in a haystack, jokes about making love "with premeditation", and wine and pipes are everywhere. A few period swear words.shown
What the movie brings
- Panache and cheek in the face of the powerful, with a smile.
- War shown as an absurdity, and laughed at.
Watching it together
A word about the scene between the king and Adeline: a king who demands, a young woman who says no, and who is right.
at 10 and up
Fanfan believes Adeline's prophecy. Was it fate that made him a captain, or what he decided?
See the facts
A zinema reading from September 8, 2026 · the whole movie, watched in full · the age by zinema's rules for the US and France, and a human reading · report an error · how this guide is made