Jeux Interdits (Forbidden Games) (1952)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jan Marc M

  
  Forbidden Games tells of a girl orphaned by war who met a boy from a peasant family. He loves her. She loves him. Theirs is not just a story of young star-crossed lovers, but more significantly, how war robs childhood of its innocence. It is a love story, with compelling selfless… More
  Forbidden Games tells of a girl orphaned by war who met a boy from a peasant family. He loves her. She loves him. Theirs is not just a story of young star-crossed lovers, but more significantly, how war robs childhood of its innocence. It is a love story, with compelling selfless details and unfathomable depth. Unforgettable.

• Robert C

  
  As I've said before stories with children in major roles are always a gamble for me. Rare is the child who comes across as believable, especially in dramatic situations. What a wonderful surprise this was as both Brigitte Fossey and Georges Poujouly do a remarkable job as… More
  As I've said before stories with children in major roles are always a gamble for me. Rare is the child who comes across as believable, especially in dramatic situations. What a wonderful surprise this was as both Brigitte Fossey and Georges Poujouly do a remarkable job as Paulette and Michel. And not only are they the two youngest actors, they may well be the best two actors in the film (in my opinion). The first fifteen minutes of this film are (aside from some chessy stock war footage) truly gut wrenching. Which was completely unexpected coming from a film of this era and really set a tone for the trials and tribulations of poor little Paulette. Paulettes puppy Jocko was a real source of distress for me as well, although he is sort of the foundation (along with her parents) for what transpires later in the film. It was hard to get past some of his "scenes" without feeling uncomfortable. (Don't want to give too much away) While it does suffer from some predictable sub-plots and unintentional (era specific) cheesiness...the bulk of the film focuses on the innocence of children and speaks to their resilience. Though our two little scamps do go down a (slightly) dark trail, it is their love for each other that is the heart of the film. While this is no "Ponette" in terms of heartbreaking emotion...if the last ten minutes of this film dosen't tug on your heart strings...you may want to call a cardiologist and have your heart checked.

• Stella D

  
  the description didn't prepare me for the amount of humor in the film. after a harrowing opening sequence, it follows a somewhat comical farm family in the french countryside, whose life goes blithely on while the younger children grow deeper into their obsession with death.… More
  the description didn't prepare me for the amount of humor in the film. after a harrowing opening sequence, it follows a somewhat comical farm family in the french countryside, whose life goes blithely on while the younger children grow deeper into their obsession with death. ends rather abruptly. outstanding performance by the little girl who wasn't more than 5 at the time

• Randy T

  
  Director Rene Clement wanted to cast an eight or nine year old girl for the part of Paulette because he thought that anyone younger wouldn't be able to remember the lines or follow his direction. Thank God for Clement's insistent wife who recognized the talents of five year… More
  Director Rene Clement wanted to cast an eight or nine year old girl for the part of Paulette because he thought that anyone younger wouldn't be able to remember the lines or follow his direction. Thank God for Clement's insistent wife who recognized the talents of five year old Brigitte Fossey and ultimately managed to convince her husband to give the girl a second look. Let's face facts here, no matter how great the script or the director or the cinematography, if the kid isn't believable the film just doesn't work. Bravo Mrs. Clement and Bravo Brigitte!

• Tim S

  
  Very sweet but at the same time very depressing.

• Mark A

  
  A quiet little film that explores how children respond when in a terrifying situation outside of their control. Brigitte Fossey is simply marvelous as the little girl dealing with the early days of WWII, and the loss of her family and her dog. She is taken in by a French farm family… More
  A quiet little film that explores how children respond when in a terrifying situation outside of their control. Brigitte Fossey is simply marvelous as the little girl dealing with the early days of WWII, and the loss of her family and her dog. She is taken in by a French farm family and forms an instant bond with the youngest son, who is a few years older than her. Their friendship and the innocence with which they channel their grief into a mutual project are the focus of the film. This reviewer is grateful for the editing choices, and the way the director was able to elicit such a range of emotions from this young actress. In the extras on this disc, we learn that he originally had sought an older child to play the girl, but recognized Ms Fossey's ability to channel her emotions in a way that made the character light up the screen. We also get to see the alternate beginning and ending that thankfully did not make the final cut. One is of the opinion that they were prepared in order to sell the film if it was deemed too dark. But the scenes would have lessened the impact of the film greatly and might have made it less enduring. Some scenes were difficult to watch, but must be understood in the context of the times. Children were certainly not coddled.

• Byron B

  
  The opening sequence is very good. A little girl from the city is thrown into tragic circumstances. She befriends a boy a few years older than she is and is temporarily adopted by his farming family. There are funny moments dealing with the family's rivalry with the… More
  The opening sequence is very good. A little girl from the city is thrown into tragic circumstances. She befriends a boy a few years older than she is and is temporarily adopted by his farming family. There are funny moments dealing with the family's rivalry with the neighboring family, and with relationships within the Dolle family household. It is interesting how the children try to cope with the tragedy of war, but I was not overly impressed by the five year old actress. Her acting method did not seem particularly natural. What I mean is, you can tell the director was coaching her to bring the tears on at certain moments, instead of her being able to react naturally to the situations.

• Dannielle A

  
  Very impressive movie. I enjoyed it very much. It was true art. GREAT acting, engaging story, great lighting, good shots, good editing, and very meaningful. The acting by young Brigitte Fossey is almost unbelievable because it's almost perfect. Director Rene Clement first desired… More
  Very impressive movie. I enjoyed it very much. It was true art. GREAT acting, engaging story, great lighting, good shots, good editing, and very meaningful. The acting by young Brigitte Fossey is almost unbelievable because it's almost perfect. Director Rene Clement first desired to cast a a nine to eleven year old girl for the part of Paulette due to the fact that he believed a younger girl wouldn't take direction well or remember her lines. But thanks to Clement's wife, Fossey was chosen and she made the movie what it is. She is absolutely adorable. The movie is about a little five year old girl who is escaping Paris with her parents when the Nazis are bombing the city. Her parents and little dog are killed instantly while she is left behind as an orphan. She wanders around aimlessly, trying to understand what has happened. She befriends an older boy and his family adopts her temporarily. It is the macabre story of childhood innocence and the evils of the world being viewed with the eyes of a child. Children are quite strong and resilient, but they are also vulnerable and easily impressionable. Some are more malleable than others but they are not incorruptible. You see Paulette being very brave the whole movie and at the end, she becomes very fragile and delicate and you feel your heart being wripped out as the word FIN comes on to the screen and you think, "How is that the end??!! How sad!!!!" But very moving and a great masterpiece. There are some cute and precious moments. My favorites are the kiss on the cheek that Paulette gives Michel and also when they are trying to find crosses for different animals. Paulette points to the tallest cross in the cemetery and delcares, "And that one would be good for a giraffe!" So cute!

• Tom S

  
  Tenderly presents a very disturbing, but important story about children and how they are influenced.

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