Children of Paradise

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Children of Paradise

1945

3h 15m

Romance

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98%

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42 Reviews

95%

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5,000+ Ratings

In this expansive drama, the lovely and enigmatic Parisian actress Garance (Arletty) draws the attention of various men in her orbit, including the thoughtful mime Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault) and the ambitious actor Frédérick (Pierre Brasseur). Though Garance and Baptiste have an undeniable connection, their fortunes shift considerably, pushing them apart as well as bringing them back together, even as they pursue other relationships and lead separate lives.

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Critics Consensus

Strong performances abound, and Carne's wit and grace are evident in this masterful (if long) French epic.

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Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

To luxuriate in the film's 3-hour, 10-minute length is to experience this masterpiece as it hasn't been experienced since the day it opened.

Rated: 4/5

May 31, 2012

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Andrew O'Hehir

Salon.com

If you give this movie time to work on you, the elements that seem overly artificial or impossibly distant from our own time fade into insignificance, and you're left with a complicated and wonderful romantic drama that's full of surprises.

Mar 8, 2012

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Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

Before French cinema reinvented itself with jump cuts and cool bobs, Marcel Carné's 19th-century backstage drama was the epitome of good taste: a sumptuous spread of genteel sparring and epic heartache.

Rated: 5/5

Mar 6, 2012

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Vernon Young

The Hudson Review

Although it introduces no fresh mutation of cinema techniques, Marcel Carne’s film is expressively superb, conceived symbolically and acted with histrionic elegance and feeling -- a rich parable of the uses of love.

Jan 18, 2024

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

It became the nation's first celluloid triumph after liberation, even if initially released to some territories in a substantially cut form.

Oct 3, 2022

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Few films are as grandly romantic as Marcel Carne's 1945 picture, a rich melodrama released at the height of French cinema's Golden Age.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 23, 2022

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Stephen C

3.25 hours is too long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/08/25

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acsdoug D

While the acting is good the movie basically three plus hours of dialogue about nothing. Not my cup of tea.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/09/24

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Dick C

It's a full of open ends French movie, Enfants Du Paradis, Children of Paradise, 1945...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

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watched it given metacritics high rating. found the trailer interesting, where they marketed it as "france's response to "gone with the wind". I did find Arletty a good actress. but admittedly fell asleep during parts 1 and 2.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/12/22

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Audience Member

A regular feature on lists of greatest foreign films, I had to watch this at some point. It's a long yarn but it never feels too overbearing. Very Dickensian in creating colourful and fairly one dimensional characters. They philosophise over love with an originality of prose that only the French romantics seem to be capable of bringing to the subject. Not so much a love triangle as a love hexagon, it's an enjoyable watch if not necessarily something I'll need to repeat watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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Audience Member

After watching this overly long and tedious movie I absolutely hated it! There are simply far too many issue I have with the overall storyline that promotes and tries to justify infidelity, Promiscuity and everything thats Soulless and wrong. For one the actress this film revolves around was anything but pretty I found her appearance aged and very unattractive . For that point in itself I found it unrealistic and not at all believable how or why 4 men would be pining over her to begin with. Then we have the 2nd Protagonist " The Mime" Where some forms of Art are beautiful and inspiring. Miming in my opinion even at its best is outright creepy. Unless it's Charlie Chaplains work ;mimes or clowns freak me out! All weirdness aside we also had the Sociopaths who love to smile after committing cold blooded murder. Their bizarre cartoon like hairstyles and costumes only added to their freakiness. The only kind and semi normal character was Nathalie who just got taken advantage of and mistreated.What a despicable motion picture ! Excuse me while I sit this one out and dispose of it on a nice Bonfire one Cool evening. All the drinks in the World could not make this movie look pretty.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

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Marcel Carné

Director

Arletty

Garance

Jean-Louis Barrault

Baptiste Debureau

Pierre Brasseur

Frédérick Lemaître

María Casares

Nathalie

Pierre Renoir

Jéricho

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Synopsis

In this expansive drama, the lovely and enigmatic Parisian actress Garance (Arletty) draws the attention of various men in her orbit, including the thoughtful mime Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault) and the ambitious actor Frédérick (Pierre Brasseur). Though Garance and Baptiste have an undeniable connection, their fortunes shift considerably, pushing them apart as well as bringing them back together, even as they pursue other relationships and lead separate lives.

Director: Marcel Carné
Producer: Raymond Borderie
Screenwriter: Jacques Prévert
Distributor: Criterion Collection
Production Co: Pathé Cinéma
Genre: Romance
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 15, 1945, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.9K
Runtime: 3h 15m

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