Les Enfants terribles (The Strange Ones) (1950)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Stefanie C

  
  I'm lost...

• Anthony L

  
  I'm a big fan of Jean Cocteau's work and I have read the novel on which this is based and I just can't understand why Cocteau didn't direct it himself!? He was just getting over his opium addiction at the time but I can't help but think that might have helped.… More
  I'm a big fan of Jean Cocteau's work and I have read the novel on which this is based and I just can't understand why Cocteau didn't direct it himself!? He was just getting over his opium addiction at the time but I can't help but think that might have helped. Considering both he and Melville clashed on so many aspects of this film it hasn't turned out too bad but the contrasts of the two is obvious. For starters, I think the casting of Edouard Dermithe was wrong, as did Melville, but it's obvious that he was Cocteau's object of desire. Renée Cosima dual role was confusing and added nothing to the story but at least Nicole Stéphane did a fine job. Unfortunately both Cocteau and Melville have been on better form, it lacked Cocteau's usual flare and Melville's often brash but poetic intensity but it did follow the story perfectly when it mattered.

• danny d

  
  far from being one of melvilles better films, the film suffers from intolerable characters and a dull and pointless story through 3/4 of the film. thankfully melville did a lot with a little, redeeming the otherwise dull story with an interesting and tragic final act. the technical… More
  far from being one of melvilles better films, the film suffers from intolerable characters and a dull and pointless story through 3/4 of the film. thankfully melville did a lot with a little, redeeming the otherwise dull story with an interesting and tragic final act. the technical points also save the film with great direction, interesting camera angles, and great lighting choices, especially in the gallery scenes. overall somewhat disappointing but still very worthwhile, especially for melville fans.

• Eric B

  
  Jean-Pierre Melville may have directed "Les Enfants Terribles," but the film has little to do with the later crime pictures that form his main legacy. The true auteur here is Jean Cocteau. He adapted the screenplay from his own book. He narrates. A few visual tricks bear his… More
  Jean-Pierre Melville may have directed "Les Enfants Terribles," but the film has little to do with the later crime pictures that form his main legacy. The true auteur here is Jean Cocteau. He adapted the screenplay from his own book. He narrates. A few visual tricks bear his stamp, such as a dream sequence with backward motion, a mustached bust who seems to smirk at the action and a trademark shot where one character "floats" forward while the rest of the scene blurs behind him. Even the artistic, fluffed-up hairstyles suggest Cocteau's typical screen heroes. The story resembles a Shakespearian tragedy wherein all events feel more symbolic than realistic. Paul (Edouard Dermithe, whose career was almost nothing but Cocteau-related projects) and Elisabeth (Nicole Stephane) are same-aged siblings -- their characters seem about 17 years old. As the film opens, they have a sick mother and rely on a maid. Their relationship has a heavy incestuous undercurrent, and they sleep in the same room without concerns for modesty. While Paul is at school, his friend Dargelos (Renee Cosima, masquerading as a boy) hits him in the chest with a snowball. Paul collapses, bleeding from the mouth. The snowball seemingly contained a rock but, even so, it doesn't make sense that Paul is so grievously injured. Perhaps Dargelos's betrayal was the true wound. Paul is sent home to convalesce in bed, while Elisabeth tends to him. Here, we learn they're strangely fixated on what they call "the game." It is not well-explained, but apparently involves trying to top each other with harsh words and cruelty. Most of the film centers around their salty, self-involved interplay, and Elisabeth is such a loud, relentless shrew that many viewers may be turned off. Eventually, the pair's friends Gerard (Jacques Bernard) and Agathe (Cosima again, interestingly) become important figures in the psychological warfare. Elisabeth also marries a rich youth named Michael, who ensures that she and Paul can sustain their insular, pampered lifestyle. During the final act, the dialogue eerily echoes amid the giant halls of Michael's mansion -- which only adds to the film's dream-like atmosphere. "Les Enfants Terrible" is consistently stylish and intriguing, and fans of Cocteau's Orpheus trilogy shouldn't overlook this less famous work. However, Cocteau is also responsible for the film's biggest flaw: His intrusive narration is grossly overused. Many quiet moments would be more evocative if the audience was left room for its own personal impressions.