Les enfants du paradis (1945)

Director:

Marcel Carné

Writer:

Jacques Prévert (scenario and dialogue)

Release Date:

15 November 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

This tragic tale centers around the ill-fated love between Baptiste, a theater mime, and Claire Reine...

Plot Keywords:

Count | Love | Actor | Mime | Actress

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Arletty	...	Garance (Claire Reine)
Jean-Louis Barrault	...	Baptiste Debureau
Pierre Brasseur	...	Frédérick Lemaître
Pierre Renoir	...	Jéricho
María Casares	...	Nathalie (as María Casarès)
Gaston Modot	...	Fil de Soie
Fabien Loris	...	Avril
Marcel Pérès	...	Director of the Funambules
Palau	...	Stage manager of the Funambules (as Pierre Palau)
Etienne Decroux	...	Anselme Debureau (as Étienne Decroux)
Jane Marken	...	Mme. Hermine (as Jeanne Marken)
Marcelle Monthil	...	Marie
Louis Florencie	...	Policeman
Habib Benglia	...	Turkish Bath Attendant
Rognoni	...	Director, 'Grand Theatre'
Jacques Castelot	...	George
Paul Frankeur	...	Police Inspector
Albert Rémy	...	Scarpia Barrigni
Robert Dhéry	...	Celestin
Auguste Bovério	...	First Author (as Auguste Boverio)
Paul Demange	...	Second Author
Louis Salou	...	Édouard, Count de Montray
Marcel Herrand	...	Pierre-François Lacenaire
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nicolas Bataille	...	Extra (uncredited)
Jean-Pierre Belmon	...	Little Baptiste Debureau (Jr.) (uncredited)
Gérard Blain	...	(uncredited)
Jean Carmet	...	Extra (uncredited)
Jean Diéner	...	Third Author (uncredited)
Guy Favières	...	Debt Collector (uncredited)
Jean Gold	...	Second Dandy (uncredited)
Gustave Hamilton	...	Stage Doorman, 'Grand Theatre' (uncredited)
Jean Lanier	...	Iago (uncredited)
Léon Larive	...	Stage Attendant (uncredited)
Lucienne Legrand	...	First Pretty Girl (uncredited)
André Numès Fils	...	Man whose watch gets stolen (uncredited)
Raphaël Patorni	...	Another dandy (uncredited)
Cynette Quero	...	Second Pretty Girl (uncredited)
Roger Vincent	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Lucien Walter	...	Ticket Seller (uncredited)

Directed by
Marcel Carné

Writing credits
Jacques Prévert		(scenario and dialogue)

Produced by
Raymond Borderie	....	producer: Pathé Cinéma
Fred Orain	....	producer

Original Music by
Maurice Thiriet

Cinematography by
Marc Fossard
Roger Hubert

Film Editing by
Henri Rust		(as Henry Rust)
Madeleine Bonin		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Léon Barsacq		(as Leon Barsacq)
Raymond Gabutti
Alexandre Trauner		(as Alex. Trauner)

Art Direction by
Léon Barsacq		(as Leon Barsacq)
Raymond Gabutti

Costume Design by
Mayo

Production Management
Louis Théron	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pierre Blondy	....	artistic assistant director
Bruno Tireux	....	technical assistant director

Art Department
Alexandre Trauner	....	collaborator: sets (as Alex. Trauner)

Sound Department
Robert Teisseire	....	sound engineer

Music Department
Joseph Kosma	....	music collaborator
Charles Münch	....	conductor

Production Companies

• Pathé Consortium Cinéma (present)
• Société Nouvelle Pathé Cinéma

Distributors

• Pathé (1945) (France) (theatrical)
• René Chateau Video (1999) (France) (VHS)
• Pathé (2006) (France) (DVD)
• Internationale Filmallianz (IFA) (1947) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Tricolore (1946) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled) (edited)
• Zazie Films (2005) (Japan) (theatrical) (re-release)
• 01 Distribution (2008) (Italy) (DVD)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (1992) (USA) (VHS) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2003) (Australia) (DVD)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire  music performers (as La Société des Concerts du Conservatoire)
• Pathé-Cinéma  studio: Paris-Joinville
• La Victorine  studio: Nice
• Laboratories Pathé Cinéma  titles
• Lanvin  costume makers (uncredited)
• Lobster Films  sound restoration
• Ramsès  recording studio: Restauration du son 1991

Also Known As:

Children of Paradise (USA)
L'homme blanc (France) (second part title)
Le Boulevard du crime (France) (first part title)

Runtime:

USA:163 min (edited) | France:190 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:18 | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Sweden:7 (1986) | UK:PG | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Pathé Consortium Cinéma

Trivia:

Garance says she grew up in Meilmontant. Menilmontant, known affectionately as "Ménilmuche", was part of the commune of Belleville, and is now a suburb of Paris, part of the city's 20th arrondissement. It was absorbed into the City of Paris in 1860.

Goofs:

Continuity: The positions of Avril and Lacenaire in the Turkish baths changes between the shot of their entry and the closer shot.

Quotes:

Baptiste: You were right, Garance. Love is simple.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Le fantôme d'Henri Langlois (2004)

The Wheel of Fortune

People sometimes wonder how this great movie could be made in occupied France in the midst of WWII. But perhaps this was a most appropriate time for it to be created, and added to its conception and execution. Because the fortunes of war are a reflection of the fortunes of life, which above all this film explores. All the cliches so familiar in everyday life - what goes up comes down; the fickleness of love; beauty in the midst of ugliness; the lonely sad sensitive soul; the unthinking happy-go-lucky mob; generosity; avariciousness - are here portrayed in breathtaking poetry of words, settings, camera angles, music that has never been equalled. The huge camera movements over and through the crowd at the start and end of the film make an indelible impression.

And the performances! Barrault and Arletty create characters who are uniquely individual and yet represent ideals of physical and spiritual beauty. Of the other memorable performances, Pierre Renoir as Jericho, the rag and bone collector, is someone who once seen will never be forgotten.

As in life, there is no easy happy ending. Having emerged from the crowd, Garance once more melts into it. But there is every chance that the wheel of fortune will turn again; Baptiste will find Garance; Nathalie will find new love; the show will go on!