Children of Paradise (1945)
"Les enfants du paradis" (original title)

This tragic tale centers around the ill-fated love between Baptiste, a theater mime, and Claire Reine, an actress and otherwise woman-about-town who calls herself Garance. Garance, in turn,... See full summary »

Director:

Marcel Carné

Writer:

Jacques Prévert (scenario and dialogue)

Stars:

Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arletty	...	Caire Reine, dite Garance
Jean-Louis Barrault	...	Jean-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	...	Le directeur des Funambules
Palau	...	Le régisseur des Funambules (as Pierre Palau)
Etienne Decroux	...	Anselme Debureau (as Étienne Decroux)
Jane Marken	...	Mme Hermine (as Jeanne Marken)
Marcelle Monthil	...	Marie
Louis Florencie	...	Le gendarme des 'Adrets'
Habib Benglia	...	L'employé des bains turcs
Rognoni	...	Le directeur du Grand Théâtre

Storyline

This tragic tale centers around the ill-fated love between Baptiste, a theater mime, and Claire Reine, an actress and otherwise woman-about-town who calls herself Garance. Garance, in turn, is loved by three other men: Frederick, a pretentious actor; Lacenaire, a conniving thief; and Count Eduard of Monteray. The story is further complicated by Nathalie, an actress who is in love with Baptiste. Garance and Baptiste meet when Garance is falsely accused of stealing a man's watch. Garance is forced to enter the protection of Count Eduard when she is innocently implicated in a crime committed by Lacenaire. In the intervening years of separation, both Garance and Baptiste become involved in loveless relationships with the Count and Nathalie, respectively. Baptiste is the father of a son. Returning to Paris, Garance finds that Baptiste has become a famous mime actor. Nathalie sends her child to foil their meeting, but Baptiste and Garance manage one night together. Lacenaire murders Edouard...

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Plot Keywords:

count | love | mime | actor | actress | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

15 November 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Children of Paradise

Filming Locations:

Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Société Nouvelle Pathé Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

190 min 163 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

18 months in production.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Director: Act! Act! You have the wrong place. We are not allowed to act here. We walk on our hands! And you know why? They bully us. If we put on plays, they'd have to close their great, noble theaters! Their public is bored to death by museum pieces, dusty tragedies and declaiming mummies who never move! But the Funambules is full of life, movement! Extravaganzas! Appearances, disappearances, like in real life! And then-boom-the kick in the pants!

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Connections

Featured in Empreintes: Brasseur, père et fils (2011)

User Reviews

The greatest movie to ever grace the silver screen.

"Les Enfants du Paradis" is my favorite movie of all time, and if you don't agree with me, you must admit it's surely one of the most beautiful. The film is about one woman, Garance (Arletty), who is loved by many men in early Paris. It is definitely Marcel Carne's crowning achievement, and to think this movie was even made is a miracle. Sadly, this movie is unseen by many, and isn't even on IMDb's Top 250 list. It's really too bad that such a stunning film would be so underrated. Please take my word, overlook the running time, and check out "Children of Paradise." (****/****)