IMDb > Les enfants terribles (1950)
Les enfants terribles
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Les enfants terribles (1950) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   973 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Jean Cocteau (novel)
Jean Cocteau (adaptation)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Les enfants terribles on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 July 1952 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
Elisabeth is very protective of her teenage brother Paul, who is injured in a snowball fight at school and has to rest in bed most of the time... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. more
User Comments:
My two favorite French filmmakers collaborate and turn out a masterpiece more (11 total)

Cast

  (in credits order)
Nicole Stéphane ... Elisabeth
Edouard Dermithe ... Paul
Renée Cosima ... Dargelos / Agathe
Jacques Bernard ... Gerard
Melvyn Martin ... Michael
Maria Cyliakus ... The Mother
Jean-Marie Robain ... Headmaster
Maurice Revel ... Doctor
Rachel Devirys
Adeline Aucoc ... Mariette
Emile Mathys ... Vice Principal
Roger Gaillard ... Gerard's Uncle
Jean Cocteau ... Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hélène Rémy
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Directed by
Jean-Pierre Melville 
Jean Cocteau (uncredited)
 
Writing credits
Jean Cocteau (novel)

Jean Cocteau (adaptation and dialogue)

Jean-Pierre Melville (writer) uncredited

Produced by
Jean-Pierre Melville .... producer
 
Cinematography by
Henri Decaë 
 
Film Editing by
Monique Bonnot 
 
Production Design by
Emile Mathys 
Jean-Pierre Melville 
 
Costume Design by
Christian Dior (dresses)
 
Makeup Department
Hagop Arakelian .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
J. Boussard .... assistant unit manager
J. Braley .... production manager
Jean-Pierre Melville .... production manager
Philip Schwob .... unit manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michel Drach .... trainee assistant director
Jacques Guymont .... second assistant director
Claude Pinoteau .... assistant director
 
Sound Department
Jacques Carrère .... sound mixer
Maurice Dagonneau .... boom operator
R. Durand .... sound recordist
Jacques Gallois .... sound
 
Camera and Electrical Department
André Dino .... still photographer
J. Thibaudier .... camera operator
 
Editorial Department
Colette Charbonneau .... assistant editor
Claude Durand .... assistant editor
 
Music Department
Paul Bonneau .... musical director
 

Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Jean Cocteau's Les enfants terribles (France) (complete title)
The Strange Ones
more
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
France
Language:
French | English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
West Germany:18 (nf) | UK:12 (2000) | UK:X (1952) | UK:X (1976) (re-rating) | Spain:18
Filming Locations:
Ermenonville, Oise, France more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Jean Cocteau was allowed a day of shooting, when Jean-Pierre Melville wasn't feeling up to the mark. Cocteau was to follow Melville's instructions exactly or do nothing at all. Eight shots in all, which were supposed to be of a summer's day but were done in midwinter in the rain. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2004) (VG) more
Soundtrack:
Were You Smiling At Me more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful.
My two favorite French filmmakers collaborate and turn out a masterpiece, 19 August 2008
9/10
Author: TimothyFarrell from Worcester, MA

Jean Pierre Melville and Jean Cocteau are my two favorite filmmakers from France, but for me, they couldn't be more opposite in style. Melville is best known for minimalist, low-key, and realistic crime dramas such as "Le Samourai" and "Army of Shadows", whereas Jean Cocteau creates operatic and dreamlike fantasies such as "Beauty and the Beast". I was worried, despite my love for both auteurs, that Melville directing and Cocteau writing the screenplay wouldn't mesh at all. Fortunately, their collaboration turned out an absolutely gorgeous masterpiece. Jean Cocteau narrates the film in his typically poetic style. This adds a dreamlike layer to a film full of bizarre yet plausible situations, so it doesn't go against Melville's established sense of realism.

The direction by Melville is, unsurprisingly, superb. This was before he made his more acclaimed masterpieces, but its obvious he was very skilled from the start. The pacing is perfect without a single scene or shot gone to waste. The acting by the youths is uneven, which is the only slight flaw. Edouard Dermithe (who later starred in Cocteau's "Orpheus" and "The Testament of Dr. Orpheus") is too melodramatic and over-the-top, but the rest of the cast fares very well. Nicole Stéphane in particular is terrific as the cold sister fanatically devoted to her brother. Fortunately, Cocteau manages to avoid any incestuous undertones that a cheaper artist would feel compelled to attach to the material (and honestly, I was frightened that they'd be present here initially). I'm glad the great Criterion has released this film to DVD. Hopefully, it'll obtain the larger audience it deserves. (9/10)

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Message Boards

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Brilliant dixon-20
Dermithe too old? tcsung
The Song that Michael sings in this film...? mackjay2
Music question - Bach? levi-elijah
DVD? xbhaskarx
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