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| CHILDREN OF PARADISE
(LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS)
(director: Marcel Carne; screenwriters: Jacques
Prevert/from an idea by Marcel Carne and Jacques Prevert;
cinematographers: Roger Hubert/Marc Fossard;
editors: Henri Rust/Madeleine Bonin;
music: Joseph Kosma/Maurice Thiriet/pantomime
music by Georges Mouque; cast:
Jean-Louis Barrault (Baptiste Debureau), Arletty
(Garance), Pierre Brasseur (Frederick Lemaitre), Marcel
Herrand (Pierre-Francois Lacenaire), Maria Casares
(Nathalie), Pierre Renoir (Jericho), Louis Salou (Count
Edouard de Montray), Fabien Loris (Avril), Gaston Modot
(the Blind Man), Jeanne Marken (Madame Hermine);
Runtime: 185; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Raymond
Borderie; Home Vision Entertainment;
1945-France-in French with English subtitles) "It's almost flawlessly filmed, though it at times lacks warmth." Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz Classic
old-fashioned 19th century set humanist backstage
drama period film that was filmed during the Paris
Occupation and might have an allegorical message
comparing the Occupation to the film's plot about
seeking freedom. It's directed with robust and style
by Marcel Carne ("Gates of the Night"/"Daybreak"/"The
Devil's Envoys") and written with wit by Jacques
Prevert. It's about the three diverse men
attracted to the elusive Arletty character and of the
life of theater people residing on Paris' Boulevard of
Crime. It's almost flawlessly filmed, though
it at times lacks warmth. It plays out also as an
homage to actors, as the cast is peerless. It's based
on real historical figures. The
Paris boulevard crowds in the 1840s draw the
likes of the flirtatious narcissistic classical
hammy actor Frederick Lemaitre (Pierre
Brasseur), the sensitive idealistic star mime Baptiste
Debureau (Jean-Louis Barrault) and the
dangerous misanthropic master criminal
Pierre-Francois Lacenaire (Marcel Herrand),
the aristocratic Count Edouard de Montray (Louis
Salou), the flighty courtesan Garance (Arletty)
and the lovelorn regular girl Nathalie (Maria
Casares). Their lives become
intertwined, as they chase after love, freedom and
riches. The mysterious Garance's doomed love for the
fragile mime runs deepest, but the mime keeps running
into obstacles that keep him from realizing his
desires. Garance
is pursued romantically by the actor, the mime and the
criminal, but the wealthy Count steals her away with
his wealth and removes her from the Boulevard. However
Garance returns to Paris six years later (maybe
signaling the end of the Occupation) and the three
rivals pick up where they left off before in pursuing
the working-class heroine, but with greater urgency
and some with evil intent. Meanwhile Nathalie
pines for the mime. The memorable pic, with its poignant characters, has been honored as one of the greatest films ever made. It also took courage on Carne's part to hire two Hungarian Jews, set designer Alexandre Trauner and composer Joseph Kosma. If caught, the Nazis were not the most pleasant folks to deal with. REVIEWED ON 8/18/2012 GRADE: A Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews" © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ |