Not living in a major city,the opportunities to watch classic films on the big screen become limited,with it being possible for a few years to go by without one getting shown. Aware of the "Cinema Time Machine" screenings held at The Electric Cinema in Birmingham, (the oldest cinema in the UK) I have sadly missed out on all the showings, due to not wanting to miss the last train home. A fan of auteur Marcel Carne,I was taken aback when looking at the Electric's listings and finding that they were screening Carne's epic (which I've never seen before) at a good time. This led to me finally meeting the children of paradise.View on the film:Raising the curtain on the 18th century, auteur director Marcel Carné takes his graceful stylisation of Film Noir's Port of Shadows and Le Jour se Leve to a vast costume Drama canvas. Sending every man to the siren-call like beauty of Claire Reine, Carné & cinematographer Roger Hubert make her stand out like a mirage in each frame,with Carné continuing to expand on his distinctive tracking shots,that run across the bustling streets of Paris, (the largest sets,and most expensive French film ever at the time)and find Reine in the middle of the crowd. Stepping out onto the stage, Carné reveals a surprisingly humorous side,where the mines at the Funambules theatre are played with a delicate touch highlighting the quirks in Baptiste's on-stage performances.Unveiled across the screen like an epic novel, the screenplay by regular Carné collaborator Jacques Prévert makes the 3 hour run time feel as light as a feather,by Prévert wisely focusing on the personal,rather than spectacle. Introducing Reine to four major lovers in her life, Prévert uses the figures to give the film four distinctive moods,as Baptiste's love twists from flirting Comedy to sweeping romance, Frédérick's jealousy spirals the title with a vengeful edge, Lacenaire's thieving glazing the brittle desire they each have for her and Count de Montray grips Reine with an unrelenting darkness. Made,but not landing until the Occupation was finally over, Prévert's poetic dialogue brilliantly goes behind the scenes of the stage,and radically connects the romantic tale with the allegorical,in each of the men having a possessive love,which surrounds Reine, until she drops each of them and gains (temporarily) liberty.Shining as the cast member whose become the most entwined in Prévert and Carné's legacy, Arletty gives a mesmerising performance as Reine,whose given a sophistication Arletty that gives her an unshakeable allure. Finding Reine held back from looking at the stage for a number of years, Arletty elegantly conveys the heaviness from the passage of time,with Reine's reunions of former lovers losing the romantic innocence they each shared. Duelling for Reine's affections with Marcel Herrand's devilish charms as Lacenaire,the stern glance Louis Salou injects Montray,and the flamboyance Pierre Brasseur dresses Lemaitre in, Jean-Louis Barrault gives a magnetic performance as Baptiste,whose mime stage shows Barrault plays with incredible ease,and expressively casts desire across Baptiste face,from seeing Reine in the crowd of the children of paradise.

Marcel Carne definitely a lot of philosophizing, But the philosophy of life in the poetic realism of the "fatalistic" description of characters is inevitable. CHILDREN OF PARADISE is a very ambitious movie about the life masquerade. The world of theater is full of mysterious truths, secrets, intrigue and illusion.The story of the passions in the Parisian theaters. Theaters are alive no matter what. The protagonists are fatherless and poor, in other words they are ideal. To favor the beautiful courtesan fight four men. Each in their own way. Mime, actor, villain or aristocrats. The lady was long ago chose only what any of them do not know.Philosophy drama is never completely clear. Wandering through the net, woven of love, hate and jealousy is hard to unravel. Dialogues are elegant and poetic. The reasons are futile. Destiny is already predetermined.Jean-Louis Barrault as Baptiste Deburau is magical and unreal in its scenes of pantomime. The character who is more fascinated by a woman, but life in general. This is the main reason for his beloved courtesan will not become part of it. Arletty as Claire "Garance" Reine in the role of an intriguing woman who skillfully hiding their own secrets, because life does not give her enough freedom so that its secrets become reality. Pierre Brasseur as Frédérick Lemaître is extravagant, conceited and selfish actor. The initiator of its environmental role sadness.This film was made between silence and speech. Where one stops the other starts. Scenery and the atmosphere in the false silence are magical. However, sometimes one must speak out. Words are vulnerable but strong. I think this movie should everyone look.

It's the 1820s in the theater district of Paris or the Boulevard du Crime. Claire 'Garance' Reine (Arletty) is an aluring woman in the show. Four men all fall for her. Baptiste Debureau (Jean-Louis Barrault) is a mime. Frédérick Lemaître (Pierre Brasseur) is a serious actor. Pierre François Lacenaire (Marcel Herrand) is a thief. Count Édouard de Montray (Louis Salou) is an aristocrat. Garance is accused of stealing a watch from a man which was taken by Lacenaire and witness Baptiste saves her. Nathalie, who is also a mime, loves Baptiste.When I read the accolades that this is "the greatest French film of all time", my expectations were heightened. Maybe there are things lost in the translation. It's basically a romance melodrama. I know that this was made during the Nazi occupation. I can certainly see the emotional connection that entails especially for the French. I understand perfectly how difficult this must have been to put such a large production on the screen. As a movie, this is merely a well-made melodrama and not much more. I really like the extended scene of the play. It's a good movie but it's a little disappointing.

Shot during the German-occupation of France, Children Of Paradise is a film where its historical context feeds into its point and purpose. While on-screen it featured aristocrats concerned with love, on set the crew were hiding from the Nazis and concerned with their next meal. It's a surprise that their anxiety didn't transfer over onto the otherwise leisurely film. It's unusually long, especially as it's in two parts where the first ends rather anti-climatically. But its images are beautifully textured, especially in its simple but adventurous shooting. However, although the network of characters is great, I was never too invested in the protagonist or the theme. Instead, it's all about its lush bittersweet tone and that's exactly how its theme is treated. It's a good film to watch in reference to those it inspired.8/10