Children of Paradise (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

I saw Children of Paradise on a Janus 2-tape VHS set many years ago, and I very much enjoyed it. The visual quality was not the best, but because the set was released by Janus—a film distribution company that has brought foreign classics to America for decades now & has ties to Criterion—you knew that the quality was the best possible at the time. (Janus has always been widely respected and trusted for its releases.)Despite my enjoyment of the VHS, I always sensed that I had not fully seen Carne's film in terms of the visual quality, and I was correct, as the restoration on this Criterion blu-ray has proven. Some online blu-ray reviewers complain this restoration for Children of Paradise is uneven, for example, too soft in places. I put off buying the Criterion set because of that, a mistake amended by a generous Santa, to my sheer joy.I don't see the reviewer complaints "fleshed out" on my 32" screen at all. I just see sheer visual poetry and mesmerizing characters, and finally I understand why Children of Paradise is, as a film, so highly praised and regarded as the best of French cinema. It is a gorgeously perfect creation, the unlikely result of brave but crazily risk-taking filmmaking during WWII in France—some of it filmed in Vichy France, some of it filmed in Paris, in Occupied France. Every moment of Children in Paradise is thus, just by existing, a rejection of hate and dictatorial control, and an assertion of humanity and creativity.The film's story itself is quite simple, about a courtesan and the four men who love and compete for her, set against a backdrop of the day's popular theater, in 1830s Paris. Two stage performances in particular (one in each of the movie's two parts) are alone worth seeing the film for.In short, this Criterion blu-ray release is now one of my most valued purchases of a film ever. It includes a lovely thick booklet and loads of extras. Très magnifique!

I love this film! It has so many facets that a brief review can't do it justice. Several great performances, and superbly structured story, with multiple levels of meaning. Just to mention one: Garance is the woman whom every man wants. Her name is a homonym for "La France," and the Nazi occupation of France ended just as the film premiered. The final scene resembles the celebrations of Paris after the Germans left. Garance has a wealthy lover who might be a stand-in for the Nazis. Though he defers to her and treats her well, his arrogance antagonizes one of the famous characters, Pierre Lacenaire, who murders him. Lacenaire became famous during his murder trial in 1836 and his memoirs were the inspiration for Raskolnikov of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. Another fascinating theme compares the popular theatre of mimes and clowns with classical theatre - but Frédérick Lemaître - famous then - adds some buffoonery to a play about a fictitious swindler, Robert Macaire, with great success. His version of the play was very successful in its time. Finally, there is some personal irony about Arletty, who played Garance very well. She had an affair with a German officer during the occupation. Her defense: "Mon coeur est Française, mais mon cul est internationale." Still in character! This is a wonderful film that I shall re-watch many times, enjoying new facets of it each time.

I have had a holiday tradition for decades of rewatching this iconic film and I'm glad to finally have a wonderful clear print of the original. Truth to tell, I haven't even watched the commentary yet, although I did read the nice little booklet that came with it that gives some of the backstories. I look forward to watching the commentary when I want to take the time.In the meantime, well done on this great DVD!

This film has been described as France's answer to  Gone with the Wind (70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray ] and in many ways I can see why. Other than the obvious similarities of film length at above 3 hours and the historical nature of the setting and the Garrant/Scarlett, Baptiste/Rhett characters both films are eloquent studies of human nature and what makes people do the things that they do in the name of love to each other. Both classics are also lengthy films and yet you don't feel it because you become so drawn into the story that time just flies by and you don't mind watching it again just in case you missed something the first time around. This film has been described as one of France's best ever but I personally feel after watching  The Complete Jean Vigo (A propos de Nice / Taris / Zero de conduite / L'atalante) (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ],  The Rules of the Game (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ],  Breathless (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ] and  The 400 Blows (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ] that this film trumps them all and is now my favourite French film; it also ranks among the best films ever made. Other than "Gone With the Wind" I actually found similarities for this film with another later classic  All About Eve [Blu-ray Book ]; both films have exceptional script writing bordering on the poetic and Prevert's writing here for the screenplay is simply a work of art! French isn't a language I understand and yet just from the English subtitles alone I could tell that the script was pure poetry. Just imagine how much better it must sound in the original French! We also get exceptional acting with excellent casting and Barrault is exceptional as Baptiste and so is Arletty as Garrant. This Criterion 2-disc release also doesn't disappoint with mostly very good video and sound quality and very good special feature interviews and documentaries. Great acting, great script and great direction makes this an essential addition to any film buff's video library.Very highly recommended!

This is what cinema can do.Such joy to see this magnificent film again after too many years away from its unique, bustling charms.What always surprises me (though it shouldn`t) is how wonderfully acted the whole thing is, with performances hovering between naturalism and melodrama - appropriate for this particular film - and at least two sublime portrayals: one by the great mime, actor and man of the theatre Jean-Louis Barrault as the mostly white-faced mime artist Baptiste, whose hopelessly romantic stage persona is reflected in his real, forlorn love for Garance, played with serene perfection by Arletty, an actress who was then already forty-five, yet who looks both youthful and ageless, both Helen of Troy and Circe.There is also a beautifully detailed performance by Pierre Brasseur as - in the long Part One of the film - the aspiring actor Lemaitre (both his and Barrault`s roles are based on real 18th century actors) who becomes, by Part Two, the toast of Paris. His boundless, bounding energy and optimism is catching, and the film is lifted even higher whenever he appears.This is a film about theatre, and the different kinds of performance on stage and in daily life. The main players are in some way involved in theatre, but there are petty thieves, landladies, aristocrats and many other types represented too.Spanish actress Maria Casares is superb as Nathalie, the woman who loves Baptiste, and her last scene is heart-rending. (To say more would spoil it for newcomers.)Marcel Carne`s direction is something of a miracle in itself, with crowd scenes genuinely and excitingly crowded, alongside intimate scenes in lodging houses or dressing rooms, every moment of the film bursting with life, and all in glorious, inventively lit black & white.There are so many felicitous moments that I can only urge you to see this literally marvellous film for yourself.The dream of a screenplay by Jacques Prevert is pretty much flawless, and unlike almost anything written for any other film. There are lyrical passages of dialogue which seem at first unnaturally poetic, but are exactly right for the particular moment in the story. The whole film, as I`ve implied, treads a line between the naturalistic and the poeticised, yet never topples into anything less than believable. Prevert deserves much of the credit for this, as do the director and actors involved in this masterpiece of masterpieces.This is, unreservedly, a very great work of cinema - and, what`s more, it`s hugely enjoyable fun too!Essential, and joyfully recommended.

LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS :Marcel Carne', and an extraordinary film. I sincerely hope this masterpiece is still appreciated and enjoyed as a French supreme example in Cinema, of Beauty , Magic and Love. Difficult to find today such an amount of poetry in a film. Nevertheless following Balzac tradition, reality is always present, dark and tragic but as a difference with standard issues, horror and grace are present always occurring or existing at the same time, in all their innocence, as two different contexts but not contrasting ones but complementary. Even if unity persists in each one of them.Perhaps a portrait of life in her own ways, not as it "usually is" but added a remarkable amount of what it "could be": life drastic differences of tone (love and hate, death and life, crime and passion , lie and purity...) seen and lived as multicoloured, multifaceted display of memories, facts, situations, actions, feelings, fantasies, as allowing instead of only living and suffering tragedy and injustice, blind to the rest, the possibility of much more easily accepting its infinite beauty."L'amour,c'est simple" says Garance. Perhaps these words are a synthesis of Marcel Carne's philosophy, also perhaps as a reference to life.After their first and only night of love, Garance, not wanting to destroy Babtiste little son's life, goes away for ever , with Babtiste inmense desperation . (what an extraordinary unique actor Jean-Louis Barrault!) ....and our tears.

To be honest, I was rather scared of seeing this film. Its reputation, plus the fact that I did not really know many of the actors and that there are scenes of mime in it all conspired against my watching it. Suddenly, on reaching an advanced age, I thought that I should watch the classic French films and, eventually I plucked up courage to watch "Les Enfants du Paradis". By that time I had seen Arletty in "Hotel du Nord" and "Le Jour Se Leve", Pierre Brasseur in "Quai des Brumes", Jean-Louis Barrault in "La Ronde" and Marcel Herrand in "Fanfan La Tulipe", and had seen a few Marcel Carne/Jacques Prevert films. I was a little optimistic about the film but was quite unprepared for the experience of being totally enthralled from the very first minute until the last. Those reviewers who say that, although 3 hours 15 minutes long, the film does not feel at all long could not be more right. This is a display of consummate acting by all concerned. Watching Arletty as Garance you can see why she was a legend of French cinema. Pierre Brasseur is truly fascinating as the arrogant actor, Lemaitre. Jean-Louis Barrault as Baptiste quite simply makes mime an art. I should, however, be wrong not to mention a now largely forgotten actor who, when he is on screen, you cannot take your eyes off him. That is Marcel Herrand as Lacenaire, the murderer, thief, playright. His is a performance which absolutely fascinates, whilst repelling (rather the sort of ability that Jules Berry had). The story holds your attention throughout and covers the complete spectrum of human emotions. If you do not watch this film, you are missing one of the great cinematic experiences. Best French film of all time? Certainly. Best film ever made? Quite probably. At least a very compelling argument would be made by anyone who has seen it.

I probably saw this great and magical film as a child and forgot it until I saw it again as a young person in the long dead Scala cinema...It's a romantic,passionate and tragic tale perfect,if you like,for Bohemians without being at all Gothic and that because it is doubly dated both in its fictional setting,the nineteenth century and in its forties production in France...It is also a literate and complex tale which makes Hollywood films look as if they have all the class of a rich retard producer,all of whose films feature ridiculous, greedy pompous,poseurs trying to upstage the expensive effects amidst the skeletal,feeble and hysterically liberal plots...This film glides over those crass puerilities like a swan amongst gaudy,gangster vultures...Although there is a murder,it is not gratuitous and the whole tale is a long poetic, philosophical muse to it's sad end for the main character who is an artist himself in an art that is the equivalent of the silent film,Mime:As if to prefigure the next real,20th century's cinematographic revolution...It's long but well worth the experience for those with the imagination and will absorb such patient persons...And it's a film in Europe about us Europeans.

I watched this film by chance at the BF when having a free evening in London. The film was shamefully unknown to me but the 3+ hours passed all too quickly with this enchanting epic. Upon my return I ordered a copy to enjoy again and subsequent viewings sill retain the magic.I have enjoyed numerous films from the silent and b&w era and the experience is generally good and the information/sleeve notes that accompany such films is interesting, this however is the point where Les Enfants fails dismally. The making of the film and the scandal involving Garrance are just as interesting tales but sadly not included. The DVD is double layered so not compatible with some older DVD players (no mention of this on the sleeve). If I had not purchased the DVD from a reputable source I would have guessed it was put together hastily prior to rushing off to a car boot sale.5 stars for the film - 1 star for packaging and presentation.