Bringemovies
← Browse Movies
Poster unavailable
TITLE DETAILS

Le Clown Chocolat

2013-06-01 · 50 min · Not rated

Documentary

In the early 20th century, one of the biggest stars of the Parisian stage was a Black artist who has since been forgotten: the clown Chocolat. This film by Samia Chala and Thierry Leclère tells the extraordinary story of this former Cuban slave who captivated the Lumière brothers, inspired the painter Toulouse-Lautrec, and later influenced writers such as Jean Cocteau. The meteoric rise of Chocolat—who was physically struck and mocked on stage by the "white clown" Footit—reflects the French public's discovery of the "Black man" during the era of colonial exhibitions and the Third Republic. It is a story that still resonates today. Drawing on exceptional archival footage, Chocolat’s epic life story is recounted by historian Gérard Noiriel and actor Marcel Bozonnet, both of whom brought the clown back to life on stage.

Open detail page

Trailers are previews, not full movies.

No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.

Production details

Directors
Samia Chala, Thierry Leclère
Production companies
Walter Films, CNC, PROCIREP, Angoa-Agicoa
Countries
Unavailable
Status
Released

Top Cast

Gérard NoirelSelf
Yann GaëlYann GaëlSelf - Chocolat
Marcel BozonnetMarcel BozonnetSelf

Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.

Where to watch

Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.

Availability not listed for this country.

Recommendations

Who Are You, Charlie Brown?
★ 6.9
Who Are You, Charlie Brown?2021Documentary

Lupita Nyong'o narrates a documentary about Peanuts and its creator, Charles M. Schulz. Famous fans—including Drew Barrymore, Kevin Smith, and Al Roker—share its influence on them, and a new animated story finds Charlie Brown on a quest.

Sidney
★ 6.9
Sidney2022Documentary

This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.

John Candy: I Like Me
★ 7.9
John Candy: I Like Me2025Documentary

Those who knew iconic funnyman John Candy best share his story, in their own words, through never-before-seen archival footage, imagery, and interviews.

Man on Wire
★ 7.4
Man on Wire2008Documentary

On August 7th 1974, French tightrope walker Philippe Petit stepped out on a high wire, illegally rigged between New York's World Trade Center twin towers, then the world's tallest buildings. After nearly an hour of performing on the wire, 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan, he was arrested. This fun and spellbinding documentary chronicles Philippe Petit's "highest" achievement.

Dahomey
★ 6.5
Dahomey2024Documentary

Thousands of royal artifacts of Dahomey, a West African kingdom, were taken by French colonists in the 19th century for collection and display in Paris. Centuries later, a fraction returned to their home in modern-day Benin. This dramatized documentary follows the journey of 26 of the treasures as told by cultural art historians, embattled university students, and one of the repatriated statues himself.

Sly
★ 7.2
Sly2023Documentary

His love of film began as an escape from a rocky childhood. From underdog to Hollywood legend, Sylvester Stallone tells his story in this documentary.

Batman & Bill
★ 7.2
Batman & Bill2017Documentary

Everyone thinks that Bob Kane created Batman, but that’s not the whole truth. One author makes it his crusade to make it known that Bill Finger, a struggling writer, actually helped invent the iconic superhero, from concept to costume to the very character we all know and love. Bruce Wayne may be Batman’s secret identity, but his creator was always a true mystery.

42 Up
★ 7.6
42 Up1999Documentary

Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

Frank and Ollie
★ 7.4
Frank and Ollie1995Documentary

Before computer graphics, special effects wizardry, and out-of-this world technology, the magic of animation flowed from the pencils of two of the greatest animators The Walt Disney Company ever produced -- Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. Frank and Ollie, the talent behind BAMBI, PINOCCHIO, LADY AND THE TRAMP, THE JUNGLE BOOK, and others, set the standard for such modern-day hits as THE LION KING. It was their creative genius that helped make Disney synonymous with brilliant animation, magnificent music, and emotional storytelling. Take a journey with these extraordinary artists as they share secrets, insights, and the inspiration behind some of the greatest animated movies the world has ever known!

Fuck
★ 6.4
Fuck2006Documentary

A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.

Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear
★ 7.0
Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear2022Documentary

Explore the evolution of Buzz Lightyear from toy to human in the making of Pixar’s Lightyear. Dive into the origin and cultural impact of everyone’s favorite Space Ranger, the art of designing a new “human Buzz,” and the challenges faced by the Lightyear crew along the way.

Human
★ 8.4
Human2015Documentary

A collection of stories about and images of our world, offering an immersion to the core of what it means to be human. Through these stories full of love and happiness, as well as hatred and violence, it brings us face to face with the Other, making us reflect on our lives. From stories of everyday experiences to accounts of the most unbelievable lives, these poignant encounters share a rare sincerity and underline who we are – our darker side, but also what is most noble in us, and what is universal. Our Earth is shown at its most sublime through never-before-seen aerial images accompanied by soaring music, resulting in an ode to the beauty of the world, providing a moment to draw breath and for introspection. This film is a politically engaged work which allows us to embrace the human condition and to reflect on the meaning of our existence.

Tongues Untied
★ 6.7
Tongues Untied1990Documentary

Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay Black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs telling the story of his growing up, scenes of men in social intercourse and dance, and various comic riffs, including a visit to the "Institute of Snap!thology," where men take lessons in how to snap their fingers: the sling snap, the point snap, the diva snap.

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey
★ 7.2
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey2011Documentary

Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage, interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.

Love, Antosha
★ 7.4
Love, Antosha2019Documentary

From a prolific career in film and television, Anton Yelchin left an indelible legacy as an actor. Through his journals and other writings, his photography, the original music he wrote, and interviews with his family, friends, and colleagues, this film looks not just at Anton's impressive career, but at a broader portrait of the man.

I Am Heath Ledger
★ 7.4
I Am Heath Ledger2017Documentary

The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

35 Up
★ 7.6
35 Up1991Documentary

Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

The Bus: A French Football Mutiny
★ 6.9
The Bus: A French Football Mutiny2026Documentary

This documentary revisits the French football team's controversial 2010 World Cup and the bus strike that sparked global headlines and national outrage.

You Can See Everything
★ 8.9
You Can See Everything2026Documentary

Thirty-four days before she's sent to prison, notorious Silicon Valley founder Elizabeth Holmes invites a skeptical film crew to document her every move. What begins as an intimate portrait of an enigmatic felon becomes a mind-bending three-year journey into the abyss.

Uncle Yanco
★ 7.2
Uncle Yanco1967Documentary

While in San Francisco for the promotion of her last film in October 1967, Agnès Varda, tipped by her friend Tom Luddy, gets to know a relative she had never heard of before, Jean Varda, nicknamed "Yanco". This hitherto unknown uncle lives on a boat in Sausalito, is a painter, has adopted a hippie lifestyle and loves life. The meeting is a very happy one.

Similar titles

Hatching by Cirque du Soleil
Not rated
Hatching by Cirque du Soleil2013Documentary

A Documentary on the Creation of OVO, by Cirque du Soleil

Personalidades Barreirenses: Jango Biriva, Leonora Kolling e João da Macena - Historiando em Novo Barreiro
Not rated
Personalidades Barreirenses: Jango Biriva, Leonora Kolling e João da Macena - Historiando em Novo Barreiro2026Documentary

The Vinland Mystery
Not rated
The Vinland Mystery1984Documentary

This short documentary depicts the search, discovery and authentication of the only known Norse settlement in North America - Vinland the Good. Mentioned in Icelandic manuscripts and speculated about for over two centuries, Vinland is known as "the place where the wild grapes grow" and was thought to be on the eastern coast between Virginia and Newfoundland. In 1960 a curious group of house mounds was uncovered at l'Anse aux Meadows in northern Newfoundland by Drs. Helge Ingstad and Anne Stine Ingstad of Norway. Added to the United Nations World Heritage List, l'Anse aux Meadows is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.

Ka Ho‘ina: Going Home
★ 7.0
Ka Ho‘ina: Going Home2014Documentary

Ka Hoʻina documents members of Hui Mālama I Nā Kūpuna O Hawaiʻi Nei's final repatriation of over 140 sets of iwi kupuna and provides an intimate look into the legacy forged by these committed and passionate few, ensuring that Hawaiians will mālama or care for kupuna for generations to come.

KŪKAI
★ 10.0
KŪKAIDocumentary

In 804 AD, Kūkai traveled to Tang China with the Japanese diplomatic mission to study under Master Huiguo, the seventh patriarch of Tang Esoteric Buddhism. After returning to Japan, his knowledge and practices went on to influence religion, literature, calligraphy, architecture, and education, shaping religious practice, artistic tradition, and intellectual life across East Asia for more than 1,250 years. Rooted in rigorous historical research, location-based storytelling, documentary techniques, cinematic reconstruction, and CG technology, the film recreates Kūkai’s world and revisits the Tang-era cultural exchange that transmitted ideas, philosophy, and spiritual traditions across East Asia. Through Kūkai’s journey, the documentary explores enduring themes of faith, learning, compassion, and cultural exchange, inviting timely conversations on ethical leadership, education, mental well-being, and intercultural dialogue in today’s increasingly interconnected world.

Babies, Snakes and Barking Dogs: Keith Haring in Australia
Not rated
Babies, Snakes and Barking Dogs: Keith Haring in Australia1984Documentary

Rare documentary chronicling Keith Haring's visit to Australia in 1984, including working and painting at the National Gallery of Victoria and the New South Wales Art Gallery.

Mémé
Not rated
Mémé2023Documentary

Adapted from famous French actor Philippe Torreton’s best-seller, GRANDMA is the portrait of the actor’s grandmother: a modest, unique but universal Norman peasant. Enriched with amateur films, nourished by major historical events, GRANDMA also tells the story of the end of a world, that of the countryside of our grandmothers, before the abyss of modernity.

UPFALL
Not rated
UPFALL2022Documentary

A Story of Love, Loss & Rebirth through a Musical Journey. Rachel Andie tells her story of Love, Loss and Rebirth in a feature length visual album, complimenting her music album, "Tu Me Manques." As the story winds through a few years of her life in Philadelphia, her essence is captured both on and off the stage. The co-director, Skyler Jenkins, has been a friend of Rachel's since he moved into Philadelphia, always living a block away; since he was so close to her, he was able to capture a very authentic and intimate look into this artist's life. The visual album was released in 2022 on YouTube, each week a new visual is released, along with a part of the story.

The Artist Body
Not rated
The Artist Body2022Documentary

A Singer, Musician & Filmmaker embark on a Cross Country Journey to explore what it takes to Find your Creative Voice. Through conversations, theory & musical moments, they uncover the steps & struggles every artist faces. This isn’t just a film—it’s a blueprint to find your voice.

Namatjira Project
Not rated
Namatjira Project2017Documentary

From the remote Australian desert to the opulence of Buckingham Palace - Namatjira Project is the iconic story of the Namatjira family, tracing their quest for justice.

Cirque du Soleil: Quidam
★ 7.5
Cirque du Soleil: Quidam1999Documentary

A young girl has already seen everything there is to see and her world has lost all meaning. Her anger shatters her world and she finds herself in the universe of QUIDAM, where she is joined by a playful companion, as well as another mysterious character who attempts to seduce her with the marvelous, the unsettling and the terrifying.

Cirque du Soleil: Alegria
★ 8.0
Cirque du Soleil: Alegria2001Documentary

Alegría is a mood, a state of mind. The themes of the show, whose name means "jubilation" in Spanish, are many. Power and the handing down of power over time, the evolution from ancient monarchies to modern democracies, old age, youth - it is against this backdrop that the characters of Alegría play out their lives. Kings' fools, minstrels, beggars, old aristocrats and children make up its universe, along with the clowns, who alone are able to resist the passing of time and the social transformations that accompany it.

Cirque du Soleil: Saltimbanco
★ 7.2
Cirque du Soleil: Saltimbanco1997Documentary

From the Italian 'saltare in banco' – which literally means 'to jump on a bench' – Saltimbanco explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms. Between whirlwind and lull, prowess and poetry, it takes spectators on an allegorical and acrobatic journey into the heart and soul of the modern city.

Cirque du Soleil: Varekai
★ 7.9
Cirque du Soleil: Varekai2003Documentary

Icarus is the main character of Varekai, who falls to the ground, breaking his legs as he does. He is suddenly in a strange, new world full of creatures he has never seen before. Parachuted into the shadows of a magical forest, a kaleidoscopic world populated by fantastical creatures, this young man sets off on an adventure both absurd and extraordinary.

Polisario: Liberation of the Western Sahara
Not rated
Polisario: Liberation of the Western SaharaDocumentary

A historical analysis of the on-going war in the Western Sahara. Liza Bear interviews Abdullah Majdid, the Polisario Front's United Nations representative. The tape addresses Morocco's U.S.-backed military effort to subjugate the indigenous Sahrawi population and annex one of the world's largest phosphate deposits, as well as the Sahrawis' conditions for a referendum.

Tous Les Jours
Not rated
Tous Les Jours2019Documentary

In rocky Newfoundland, renowned French artist Jean Claude Roy gathers his paints and sets off to face the day. Whether it be freezing snow, violent wind, or pouring rain, he commits vibrant colors to canvas and conquers the day by weaving crooked beauty out of difficulties.

Wylie Avenue Days
Not rated
Wylie Avenue Days1991Documentary

The Pittsburgh History Series is an ongoing series of hour-long documentaries that highlight various parts of our city's history. Since 1988, these documentaries have captivated local audiences by mixing memories, old films, [mementos], home movies, snapshots and new interviews.

The Past Is a Grotesque Animal
★ 5.5
The Past Is a Grotesque Animal2014Documentary

A personal, accessible look at an artist - Kevin Barnes, frontman of the endlessly versatile indie pop band of Montreal - whose pursuit to make transcendent music at all costs drives him to value art over human relationships. As he struggles with all of those around him, family and bandmates alike, he's forced to reconsider the future of the band, begging the question - is this really worth it?

Poster unavailable
Not rated
Knust2019Documentary

This documentary traces the history of Knust, an independent printing press based in Nijmegen that is regarded as one of the pioneers of risography. Founded in 1984, Knust was part of the Nijmegen artists’ initiative that originated during the squat movement in the Netherlands, where self-publishing ignited the clash between anarchist politics and neo-liberal urban reforms.

Cliff: A Portrait of an Artist
★ 4.0
Cliff: A Portrait of an Artist2021Documentary

Acclaimed Canadian artist Cliff Eyland looks back on his life after a successful double lung transplant.

Your favorites

Recently viewed

Watch

Choose an authorized server.

Full video from an operator-configured authorized source. Official trailers use a separate player. If a server fails, retry or select another authorized server.

Legal watch options

Official trailer

Trailer preview only. Press Play to start.

Privacy choices

Favorites stay in your browser. Movie images load from TMDb. YouTube trailers contact YouTube only after you allow external media and choose a trailer. Advertising consent, if ads are enabled, is managed separately by the operator’s certified CMP.

Privacy policy

After allowing external media, choose the trailer button to load its player.