★ 7 / 10
Told in two acts with a curtain rising
CinemaSerf
Told in two acts with a curtain rising on both sections, this is quite a stylish, lavish even, and entertaining tale of a lady of the streets. "Garance"…
Told in two acts with a curtain rising on both sections, this is quite a stylish, lavish even, and entertaining tale of a lady of the streets. "Garance" (Arletty) who sometimes uses her real name of "Claire Reine" is actually quite a decent woman who is wrongfully accused of pickpocketing in a busy market. Fortunately, the mime artist "Baptiste" comes to her rescue and quickly falls hook, line and sinker for the beautiful and charismatic woman. His problem is that she has no lack of suitors, and over the next three hours or so we are introduced to the lively and foppish "Lemaître" (Pierre Brasseur); the even more flamboyant but roguish "Lacenaire" (Marcel Herrand) and the aloof and sterile, but very wealthy "Comte de Montray" (Louis Salou). The plot itself isn't especially remarkable. A woman in the flushes of youth and attractiveness being sought after by a diverse collection of men. What makes this stand out is the marvellously applied mixture of heavily scored theatrical and cinematic styles. It's a love story and an adventure. How might things pan out for her as she ages, though? As her outward beauty begins to fade? Will any of them (or anyone else) still want her? Will she want them? The characters are quite roundly developed as director Marcel Carné takes his time to illustrate not just the persona of the heroine, but also those of her suitors whilst offering us a critique of a society in general that in early 19th century France mixed opulence with poverty, violence with tenderness. By using the different genres of theatre performances, Carné creatively provides us with a more subtle conduit between her series of trials and tribulations that allows us to tap into themes of culture and religion as well as human nature in many of it's guises. Arletty is on great form, as is Brasseur and given it was made just as the Nazi occupation was coming to it's own denouement, is quite an astonishingly artistic achievement that shows a nation with a healthy and defiant confidence in it's own identity and credentials.
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★ 9 / 10
Theatre, life, love: contrasts and symmetries
Teyss
Considered as one of the best French films ever and as a worldwide masterpiece, "Children of Paradise" is a milestone: first French movie released after the…
Considered as one of the best French films ever and as a worldwide masterpiece, "Children of Paradise" is a milestone: first French movie released after the liberation of Paris in 1945, it is pivotal between pre- and post-WWII cinema. On the one hand, it pays tribute to silent pictures (there are more than 20 minutes of pantomime) and represents the culmination of 1930s "Poetic Realism": poetic dialogues, archetypal characters, enhanced drama (it just lacks social background). On the other hand, it announces post-WWII modernism: strong thematic structure, mix of styles, reduced action.
The movie is a homage to theatre and pantomime. If the overall connecting thread is the love story between Garance and Baptiste, the main theme is the contrast between theatre and "real" life: to what extent do shows imitate life... or conversely? This thematic axis is reinforced by symmetries between other elements, associated by pairs.
STRUCTURE & STYLE
The movie is divided into two Parts of approximately equal lengths. It opens and closes with a shot on the same street, yet with contrasting moods: joyful at the beginning, sombre at the end.
On the one hand, the style is scenic: acting, dialogues, settings, lighting, music. Notably, all major actors had an important theatrical career beforehand. It seems the action could take place anywhere, anytime since no outside event is evoked, even though in 1830 (around which date the action takes place) a major revolution occurred. We always are on the main street, or inside or near buildings, as in a play (only short exception: the duel between Frederick and the playwright in the countryside).
On the other hand, it is a realistic movie. Baptiste, Frederick and Lacenaire are based on actual 19th century celebrities; even the names are accurate. Montray and Garance are inspired by existing persons. The shows are authentic, although altered. Personalities are complex. For instance, Lacenaire is at the same time a murderer and a poet, without scruples but not without values: after planning to kill Frederick out of jealousy, he becomes found of him because he was generous; hence he murders Montray (and quietly awaits his own execution) to prevent the latter killing Frederick in duel.
CHARACTERS
Characters are opposed by their belonging to the theatrical world or not. Of the two main female roles, Nathalie is an actress while Garance is not (she only plays shortly in Part 1). This contrast is reinforced by their opposite personalities, as well as Garance's changing mood: in Part 1, she is always smiling as she points out herself, but in Part 2 she is sombre, until the very end when she leaves in the carriage. To illustrate this duality, she is first shown looking in a mirror and afterwards frequently uses this device.
The four main male roles are divided into two groups: actors and others. In each of these, antagonisms are accentuated: pantomime (Baptiste) versus spoken theatre (Frederick); crime (Lacenaire) versus aristocracy (Montray). To enhance contrasts further, each of these men love Garance in a different way: idealised (Baptiste), physical (Frederick), intellectual (Lacenaire, character with homosexual innuendos), venal (Montray)... even though all are jealous of the other ones.
EVENTS
Many events are duplicated: once in a theatrical mode, once in real mode, and frequently once in each of the two Parts. Just a few examples:
Baptiste loses Garance to Frederick; the same happens in a staged pantomime.The show "Chand d'Habits"... is directly inspired by Jericho, for which he blames Baptiste's father.Frederick reads "Othello" in his bedroom... then plays it on stage.Frederick rehearses a cheap play... then massacres it live, both scenes mixing theatre and reality.Montray offers Garance a huge bouquet in her dressing room; Frederick, while on stage, offers the same in her theatre box.Montray plays with a stage prop chicken and throws it; Frederick eats a real chicken and throws the bones.Some dialogues are repeated on and off stage.
THE BIG COMBO
However oppositions are only apparent. In the end, everything blends together: theatre and reality, characters, comedy and tragedy. Revealingly, the two main female characters never meet, except at the very end of each Part. At the end of Part 1, it is in a light mode while at the end of Part 2 it triggers a drama: Baptiste leaves Nathalie for Garance, who goes away.
Similarly, the main male characters are never seen together, they only meet by pairs, except at the end when all four are climatically gathered after the representation of "Othello". It causes a crisis: Lacenaire shows that Garance cheats on Montray and Frederick with Baptiste. Remarkably, this revelation is made through a spectacular mix of theatre and cinema: Lacenaire opens a curtain on Garance and Baptiste kissing (theatre), while the camera dramatically pans to the left (cinema).
This triggers a tragedy: Montray challenges Frederick to a duel, who is willing to die as he realises Garance loves Baptiste; Lacenaire will murder Montray and be executed. All this happens after "Othello", a play about jealousy naturally, but ironically where the main female character (Desdemona) dies: in real life, Garance survives after Montray & Lacenaire die and Baptiste & Frederick are left shattered. Ironically also, these tragic events occur while a frenetic carnival invades the streets. It overflows with white, a characteristic colour that Baptiste, now lost in the crowd, always wears on stage: the above-mentioned blend is also visual.
Even dialogues brilliantly mix theatre and everyday life. Jacques Prévert was an eminent poet and specifically created the lines for the actors he had already selected. This is why dialogues, like in all the movies he participated to, sound so just: as a tailored suit, they perfectly fit the actor's diction and style, which can be quite peculiar like Arletty's. As a result, they feel at the same time poetic and simple, theatrical and real, witty and natural. Many quotes are now part of history.
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Fantastic! Thank you so much!