Forbidden Games (1952)
"Jeux interdits" (original title)

A young French girl orphaned in a Nazi air attack is befriended by the son of a poor farmer, and together they try to come to terms with the realities of death.

Director:

René Clément

Writers:

Jean Aurenche (dialogue), Jean Aurenche (screenplay),

Stars:

Georges Poujouly, Brigitte Fossey, Amédée

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Georges Poujouly	...	Michel Dolle
Brigitte Fossey	...	Paulette
Amédée	...	Francis Gouard
Laurence Badie	...	Berthe Dolle
Madeleine Barbulée	...	Red Cross Nun (end of film)
Suzanne Courtal	...	Madame Dolle
Lucien Hubert	...	Dolle, the Father
Jacques Marin	...	Georges Dolle
Violette Monnier
Denise Péronne	...	Jeanne Gouard (as Denise Perronne)
Fernande Roy
Louis Saintève	...	Priest
André Wasley	...	Gouard, the Father
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marcel Mérovée	...	Raymond Dollé (as Pierre Mérovée)

Storyline

A girl of perhaps five or six is orphaned in an air raid while fleeing a French city with her parents early in World War II. She is befriended by a pre-adolescent peasant boy after she wandered away from the other refugees, and is taken in for a few weeks by his family. The children become fast friends, and the film follows their attempt to assimilate the deaths they both face, and the religious rituals surrounding those deaths, through the construction of a cemetery for all sorts of animals. Child-like and adult activity are frequently at cross-purposes, however.

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Plot Keywords:

dog | cemetery | death | 1940s | fleeing | 

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Taglines:

War...and how it affects the lives of our children

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

8 December 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Forbidden Games

Filming Locations:

Studios de la Victorine - 16 avenue Edoard Grinda, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Silver Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The bridge seen in the first scenes is an old roman bridge that crossed the Verdon river near Aiguines (Var - France). This place is now unfortunately submerged by the waters of the Sainte-Croix lake.

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Goofs

Father Dolle drinks the same glass of wine twice, or does not pour the second glass. The level of wine in the bottle does not appear to change.

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Connections

Featured in The Son of Gascogne (1995)

User Reviews

Why it abruptly ends..

The first thing to bear in mind is that "Jeux interdits" was first a short ,part of a film made up of sketches -two others were to be made.For financial reasons,they were eventually jettisoned ,and "jeux interdits" had to be fleshed out to the proportions of a feature-length film.So additional scenes were shot more than one year after the first ones...and of course the children had grown up! Clement and his team had to make wonders to hide that.And they outdid themselves so brilliantly that nobody saw their "effects".

Now for the ending:Clement wanted a prologue and an epilogue:Fossey and Poujouly would read a book which told the tale of two children (Paulette and Michel).Those short sequences were eventually withdrawn,which explains this unexpected ending which still baffles the audience today.

As for the movie,needless to say it's one of the most important works of the French cinema.Some users did comment it so well I won't add anything except for Brigitte Fossey's performance,which will remain the most powerful one for such a young child.It was not surprising that Fossey enjoyed a brilliant career when she grew up...even if she never found a part so striking afterward.