Children of Paradise

Released Nov 15, 1945

3h 15m

Romance

List

98%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

95%

Audience Score

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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Roger Moore

Tribune News Service

Thanks to this glorious new restoration, "We'll always have THIS Paris."

Rated: 4/4

Jul 15, 2012

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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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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Gabriela P

Muito bom. Perfil de sucesso e melhorias. Muito bom.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/25/23

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Armina L

Not just a must see, but a must for repeat viewing. Every storyteller ought to study this cinematic masterpiece.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/23

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Audience Member

A film far ahead of its time with clear influence of later great directors like Bergman. The main actress is simply fantastic as this enigmatic and charming figure, interesting side note she dated some Nazi in real life and got in trouble. All the actors in this film are extremely talented, especially the mime one. You can feel the longing and sadness in many of the actors. Meanwhile the whole film itself is just as fascinating as the back story itself set in occupied France and I enjoyed reading the backstory. It was a film destined to be made because how it got made among the chaos is crazy. I thought the screenplay was amazing and I loved the intertwining of all the various characters. It's a film to watch more than once and so philosophical in what it says. If you are a cinephile this has to be on your list, as this film was clearly influential and one of the most famous French films ever made. It kind of screams French and romanticism. It is called the French Gone with the Wind and I agree.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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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