Les enfants du paradis (1945)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Marcel Carné

Writer:

Jacques Prévert (scenario and dialogue)

Release Date:

15 November 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

This tragic tale centers around the ill-fated love between Baptiste, a theater mime, and Claire Reine...

Plot Keywords:

Count | Love | Actor | Mime | Actress

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Arletty	...	Garance (Claire Reine)
Jean-Louis Barrault	...	Baptiste Debureau
Pierre Brasseur	...	Frédérick Lemaître
Pierre Renoir	...	Jéricho
María Casares	...	Nathalie (as María Casarès)
Gaston Modot	...	Fil de Soie
Fabien Loris	...	Avril
Marcel Pérès	...	Director of the Funambules
Palau	...	Stage manager of the Funambules (as Pierre Palau)
Etienne Decroux	...	Anselme Debureau (as Étienne Decroux)
Jane Marken	...	Mme. Hermine (as Jeanne Marken)
Marcelle Monthil	...	Marie
Louis Florencie	...	Policeman
Habib Benglia	...	Turkish Bath Attendant
Rognoni	...	Director, 'Grand Theatre'

Also Known As:

Children of Paradise (USA)
L'homme blanc (France) (second part title)
Le Boulevard du crime (France) (first part title)

Runtime:

USA:163 min (edited) | France:190 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Sweden:7 (1986) | UK:PG | USA:Approved | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Pathé Consortium Cinéma

Trivia:

"L'Auberge Des Adrets", the play performed by Frederick in Part 2, was written by Benjamin Antier and performed for the first time in 1823, featuring the real Frederick Lemaitre. ' Robert Macaire' is a character in this play and in another play eponymously titled and performed in 1835.

Goofs:

Continuity: The positions of Avril and Lacenaire in the Turkish baths changes between the shot of their entry and the closer shot.

Quotes:

Man in the audience: Shut up! We can't hear the pantomime!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

The Wheel of Fortune

People sometimes wonder how this great movie could be made in occupied France in the midst of WWII. But perhaps this was a most appropriate time for it to be created, and added to its conception and execution. Because the fortunes of war are a reflection of the fortunes of life, which above all this film explores. All the cliches so familiar in everyday life - what goes up comes down; the fickleness of love; beauty in the midst of ugliness; the lonely sad sensitive soul; the unthinking happy-go-lucky mob; generosity; avariciousness - are here portrayed in breathtaking poetry of words, settings, camera angles, music that has never been equalled. The huge camera movements over and through the crowd at the start and end of the film make an indelible impression.

And the performances! Barrault and Arletty create characters who are uniquely individual and yet represent ideals of physical and spiritual beauty. Of the other memorable performances, Pierre Renoir as Jericho, the rag and bone collector, is someone who once seen will never be forgotten.

As in life, there is no easy happy ending. Having emerged from the crowd, Garance once more melts into it. But there is every chance that the wheel of fortune will turn again; Baptiste will find Garance; Nathalie will find new love; the show will go on!