Zazie dans le Métro

Zazie dans le Métro

Year: 1960

Runtime: 93 mins

Language: French

Director: Louis Malle

FantasyComedy

Liberté… Insanité… Hilarité! A brash and precocious ten-year-old comes to Paris for a whirlwind weekend with her rakish uncle.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Zazie dans le Métro yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Zazie dans le Métro (1960)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Zazie dans le Métro (1960). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1960

The events take place in early 1960s Paris, a period of social change reflected in daily life and youth culture. The city experiences a metro strike that disrupts routine and fuels the day’s adventures and misadventures. The backdrop emphasizes a transitional era in postwar France, framed through a child’s uninhibited perspective.

Location

Paris, France

The story unfolds across a bustling Paris, centering on a railway terminus, Turandot’s café, and the city’s various streets and squares. Zazie’s adventures sweep from the station to the metro and iconic sites like the Eiffel Tower, painting a vivid portrait of urban life. The setting serves as a satirical playground where social norms are tested by a precocious child.

🗼 Paris 🏙️ City life 🎭 Parisian culture

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:14

Main Characters – Zazie dans le Métro (1960)

Meet the key characters of Zazie dans le Métro (1960), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Zazie (Catherine Demongeot)

A precocious, fearless ten-year-old who questions adults and social norms. She roams Paris with unbridled curiosity, often pushing boundaries while observing the world with a sharp, unfiltered gaze. Her blunt storytelling of her mother’s past and her own escapades fuels the film’s comedic chaos and social critique.

🧒 Curious 🗼 Parisian curiosity 🧭 Adventurous

Oncle Gabriel (Philippe Noiret)

Zazie’s uncle, a weary, bohemian performer who also doubles as a caregiver. He tries to keep order amid chaos while juggling a night drag act and family duties. He is protective of Zazie but often swept up in the day’s absurdities.

👔 Family-man 🎭 Performer 🌀 Conflicted

Albertine (Christine Howard)

Gabriel’s wife and de facto caregiver of Zazie. She steps in to manage the immediacy of chaos and provide practical support, representing steadiness within a whirlwind of events.

👗 Domestic 🕊️ Caring 🚪 Protective

Mado (Annie Fratellini)

Café waitress involved in the day’s social network, she navigates love, work, and the café’s bustle. She remains a grounded, supportive presence amid Parisian upheaval.

💼 Waitress 💬 Social 🕊️ Grounded

Turandot (Hubert Deschamps)

The café owner who is appalled by Zazie’s precocity and language, representing a conservative voice and gatekeeping of social norms within the city’s chaos.

🧭 Sharp 👔 Gatekeeper 🚨 Tense

Trouscaillon (Vittorio Caprioli)

A plain-clothes police officer who appears in morning and later scenes, embodying surveillance and the potential for moral panic surrounding the characters’ actions.

👮 Authority 🔎 Interrogator 🗣️ Persistent

Ferdinand Grédoux (Jacques Dufilho)

The cobbler neighbor whose presence adds a touch of everyday Parisian life and provides practical, neighborhood perspective amid the city’s chaos.

🧰 Neighbor 🗣️ Confidant 🧭 Practical

Madame Mouaque (Yvonne Clech)

An overdressed widow whose attentions add a layer of social satire and romantic intrigue to the ensemble.

👗 Courtly 💃 Socialite 🥂 Flirtatious

La Mère de Zazie (Odette Piquet)

Zazie’s mother, a provocative figure whose past and narrative influence shape Zazie’s understanding of family and morality.

👩‍🍼 Mother 🗣️ Provocative 🕊️ Complex

Charles (Paul Vally)

A cab driver who ferries Zazie around Paris and becomes part of the day’s misadventures, including a proposed union that threads through the story’s chaos.

🚕 Cabbie 🗺️ Companion 💬 Flirtatious

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:14

Major Themes – Zazie dans le Métro (1960)

Explore the central themes of Zazie dans le Métro (1960), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🧒 Innocence & Curiosity

Zazie’s boundless curiosity drives the plot, as she roams Paris with a fearless, unfiltered view of adults and their rules. Her blunt storytelling reveals harsh truths about family, sexuality, and social norms. The film uses her perspective to blur the line between childlike wonder and rebellious insight, creating humor from grown-up pretenses.

👮 Authority & Social Norms

The narrative repeatedly challenges authority figures—cafe owners, police, and moral gatekeepers—through misunderstandings and public spectacles. Accusations of impropriety, fake interrogations, and the crowd’s reactions critique how society polices behavior. The humor often springs from the fragility of social order under pressure.

🏙️ Urban Satire

Paris itself becomes a character, a chaotic stage for comedy and misadventure. The metro strike, crowded streets, and nightclub scenes satire modern urban life and its pretensions. The film uses rapid, episodic incidents to critique contemporary city culture and the spectacle of adult life.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 18:14

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Unlock the Full Story of Zazie dans le Métro

Don't stop at just watching — explore Zazie dans le Métro in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Zazie dans le Métro is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Zazie dans le Métro Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Zazie dans le Métro, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Zazie dans le Métro Summary

Zazie dans le Métro Timeline

Track the full timeline of Zazie dans le Métro with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Zazie dans le Métro Timeline

More About Zazie dans le Métro

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Zazie dans le Métro: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Zazie dans le Métro

Similar Movies to Zazie dans le Métro

Discover movies like Zazie dans le Métro that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.