Featured Audience Ratings

• Michael S

  
  It's easy to see why Marcel Carné's "Children of Paradise" is considered by many to be an all-time great of the medium. It's a sprawling, lavish production that was made under extraordinary circumstances (during the Nazi occupation of Franch). But in the year… More
  It's easy to see why Marcel Carné's "Children of Paradise" is considered by many to be an all-time great of the medium. It's a sprawling, lavish production that was made under extraordinary circumstances (during the Nazi occupation of Franch). But in the year 2011 (and in the humble opinion of this reviewer) the film does feel a tad dated from a narrative standpoint. That said, the film is effortlessly likeable and entertaining, and even at over three hours never drags or feels like a chore. Though it doesn't hold up in the same way that say... "Notorious" or "It's a Wonderful Life" does, it's still an outstanding achievement that should be considered mandatory viewing.

• Stella D

  
  a miracle film made under nazi occupation. a tragic romantic epic of all the mad denizens of the boulevard du crime. wonderful

• Alexander W

  
  1945 French satire, if you like Moulin Rouge, or La Haine check this one out.

• Luke B

  
  A french masterpiece. Under the circumstances it is amazing such a film was even made. The luxurious set pieces and the beautiful costume design bring this film to life. Humour, tears, and dramatics are all added. Like all the great French stories it tells us of love and loss.

• George M

  
  To watch Les Enfants du Paradis is as great an experience as the cinema can provide. It is not so innovative in terms of direction (though it's excellently directed by Marcel Carne) as it is brilliantly written by poet Jaques Prevert and magnificently acted by the actors.… More
  To watch Les Enfants du Paradis is as great an experience as the cinema can provide. It is not so innovative in terms of direction (though it's excellently directed by Marcel Carne) as it is brilliantly written by poet Jaques Prevert and magnificently acted by the actors. Although the narrative is straightforward and linear at its heart, the film gives the feeling of a whole world that is living and breathing. That is achieved through the many diffirent characters and also the great number of small details and distractions that make this wide tapestry alive (like the small episode between Frederick and the lady that owns the inn or the trio of the academic writers). The actors are terrific! Some of them are strange choices considering the script alone, like Arletty. She isn't exactly beautiful, although she plays the 'great beauty', but you believe she is exactly that as she envelops her character with an aura of dignity that transforms everything to beauty. She acts with a strange maturity at times which is in great contrast with Jean-Luis Barrault character (who seems more child-like, fragile and fiery). But this strange contrast works in favour of the film in the end as it gives more subtext to their relation. Pierre Brasseur and Marcel Herrand are equally, if not more, brilliant than the rest. The characters are superbly written and each one has a certain outlook to life which is diffirent and distinct from the others. However, all of them meet at the cross-roads of Art. Their lives and their art become interwined. The writer/criminal 'writes' his farce/tragedy when he kills the count, Babtist's performances reflect his love for Garance (both inside and outside of the performance), Fredric the actor always 'plays' with pomp and humor in real life (he even falls in love this way and calls Garance 'Desdemona') while brings the 'real life' on stage (when performing the academic trio's play). Even Jericho 'plays' his role as he announces his approaching with a musical instrument (a biblical joke). All of them suffer and come face to face with the absurdity of life (let us not forget how Carne/Prevert are famous for their existential 'poetic realism' aesthetic). This is surely the best film that shows the blurred lines between art and life (if we don't consider that other excellent film, The Red Shoes). This is probably one of the most beautiful, rich and emotionally powerful film experiences in the whole history of cinema. Funny, sad, melancholic, hilarious, heartbreaking - a farce, a comedy and a tragedy all in one exactly in the spirit of its hero Lacenaire's plays (surely one of the best consciously 'bad' guys in fiction).Totally recommended!

• Cinema F

  
  Marcel Carne's Children of Paradise is uncommonly long (almost three hours) but an exceptional film. It is richly entertaining and intensely romantic evocation of an epoch. The tale unfolds against a meticulously reconstructed setting of mid-19th century Paris. It tells of… More
  Marcel Carne's Children of Paradise is uncommonly long (almost three hours) but an exceptional film. It is richly entertaining and intensely romantic evocation of an epoch. The tale unfolds against a meticulously reconstructed setting of mid-19th century Paris. It tells of the doomed love between the famous mime Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault), and the beautiful courtesan named Garance (Arletty). Garance is loved by four men in this film, but she really only loves Baptiste. It's more of the bittersweet joy and sorrow of lovers--a classic story of love and loss. The characters and the narrative skill are both admirable. The strength of the dialogue, the music and the majestic images created make this film a magnificent one. The costume and design reminds me of the old Moulin Rouge, with Paris as the best place to hold everything colourful and grandiose spectacularium. It's not as great as Casablanca, but nevertheless, this film belongs in that same category. This flick was described in 1945 as "a superlative dramatic and visual achievement of the French cinema." An ambition being realized at that time.

• Ivan D

  
  The great Francois Truffaut has once stated that he would indeed give up all of his films to have directed "Children of Paradise" himself. If that's not a testament of the film's more than impressive whole, with its ability to impress and stir up healthy jealousy… More
  The great Francois Truffaut has once stated that he would indeed give up all of his films to have directed "Children of Paradise" himself. If that's not a testament of the film's more than impressive whole, with its ability to impress and stir up healthy jealousy among other equally heralded filmmakers, then I don't know what else will be. The film, shot during the turbulent times of Nazi occupation in France (French Resistance members at the time even secretly worked in the film's production), is a miraculous achievement not just of cinema but of the entire realm of art. By merging the symphonic beauty of two of the greatest art forms the world has ever seen (theater and film), Marcel Carné, the film's director, has created an unforgettable screen masterpiece that is both aesthetically moving and emotionally evocative. Although it was cleverly marketed in America as France's cinematic answer to Victor Fleming's "Gone with the Wind", "Children of Paradise" is so much more than just a foreign substitute to an epic Hollywood picture. It is, by its own right, a stand-alone film that ambitiously treads the territories of both love and artistry, not to mention that it is also a visually stunning rendition of 19th century France. Populated by characters that seem to be molded after Charles Dickens' creations, "Children of Paradise", in a way, moves and unfolds like great literature (the film was even split into two distinct, very novel-like chapters). But unlike the lively pageantry of "Gone with the Wind", "Children of Paradise", even at the film's early moments, is already burdened by a running sense of melancholy, specifically when the camera first focuses its lens on the face of Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault), a great pantomime who will find himself slowly falling under the spell (and pain) of love. The object of his affection is Garance (Arletty), a stunning woman who sees love merely as a simple phenomenon and who, at first sight, was immediately magnetized by Baptiste's romantic peculiarities. But then, it's not only Baptiste who's smitten by Garance; on one side, there's Frédérick Lemaître (Pierre Brasseur), a flamboyant theater actor whose acts atop the stage bleed through life itself. On the other, there's also Lacenaire (Marcel Herrand), a part-time poet and full-time criminal whose great contempt of life can only be matched by his enormous pride. And finally, there's Count Édouard de Montray (Louis Salou), a rich man who baits Garance with his unequaled fortune so that she will not love any other man ever again. Together, these four characters engage in a slow dance of doom that finally justifies the melancholic undercurrent that runs through the film. But even though "Children of Paradise" plays like a tragedy, the film, for plenty of reasons, will surely put a smile in every cinephile's face mainly because of its visual and thematic perfection. And even though the film runs close to 3 hours, I honestly would have wanted 3 more. Hell, the film, with its highly eloquent and intuitive screenplay (by Jacques Prévert), could have been an audio book. But then again, it could have also been an enjoyable silent film, what with its pantomime fluidity and swift physical timing. Considered by many as one of the greatest films of all time, "Children of Paradise", again despite of it being a romantic tragedy, is a celebratory film that embraces and makes one with art even in the midst of a violent global conflict. "Children of Paradise", a flawless masterpiece of French cinema, will always stand the test of time not just as great art but also as a proof that cinema can never be crippled by war-time destruction, be forced underground by bombs and be shackled by fear. "Children of Paradise" powerfully persists.

• Marion R

  
  This film is so overrated and for what reason? I have no idea. After the first half, I had to force myself to watch the second part. So blah, an uninteresting. Everything in this film feels like a play, none of it is real, no one feels real. They go on these long dialogues, that are… More
  This film is so overrated and for what reason? I have no idea. After the first half, I had to force myself to watch the second part. So blah, an uninteresting. Everything in this film feels like a play, none of it is real, no one feels real. They go on these long dialogues, that are meant to be insightful, but are not. I didn't care for it and I think people are just jumping on a bandwagon!

• Tom S

  
  Magnifique!

• James B

  
  An amazingly deep and moving story revolving around a young woman and the many men who pine for her affection.

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