Film: Les Enfants du Paradis
Director: Marcel Carné
Country: France
Released: March 1945
Runtime: 190 minutes
Genre: Drama
Studio: Pathé
Influenced: Truffaut, Bergman, Carol Reed, Luchino Visconti
First off a note on the film's title, and its translation into English. Most often Marcel Carné's Les Enfants du Paradis is translated as Children of Paradise, but I think it loses meaning if you don't convey that "paradis" in this context refers to the section of the theatre known as the "gods" in English. For me, something like Gods' Children or Among the Gods would be a much better translation, giving a sense of how the movie is about the role of drama in working-class life.
Of course, this romantic drama is about much more than that, and its recreation of early 19th century Paris and the world of theatre was clearly a labour of love. To plan the film, director Carné and scriptwriter Jacques Prévert secretly holed up in a cottage in Tourettes-sur-Loup (near Nice) during the Occupation, along with Jewish-Hungarian set designer Alexandre Trauner. Also present was Maurice Thiriet, acting on behalf of the film's composer, Joseph Kosma, another Hungarian Jew. The film owes much of its intensity to a sense of wartime defiance among its creators and actors, with many extras moonlighting as Resistance agents.
When the curtain goes up for this 3hr+ two-part film, we're plunged into a carnivalesque Parisian street scene on the Boulevard du Crime, named as such to give a sense of its seedy underworld. Starting in August 1943, this lavish set was constructed at Studio Victorine in Nice, and many props and items had to be acquired on the black market, away from the gaze of Vichy officials. Carné’s films before the war, such as Le Quai des Brumes and Le Jour Se Lève, addressed contemporary social and political issues but this film was a clear departure for the director, in order to escape censure. The Vichy government did order a brief suspension in production, and filming had to be completed in Joinville studios. Carné also had to take studio Pathé to court over its butchered 2hr 10min version of the film (and won), saying it was too confusing for viewers, and the film was finally released in March 1945 following the recapture of Nazi-controlled France by the western allies.
In a film about acting itself, it's not surprising that the acting is top notch. Jean-Louis Barrault is sublime as the mime artist Baptiste, and an early standout moment is his use of mime to show what happens in the pickpocket scene. The actors portray a variety of theatrical modes – pantomime, farce, Shakespearean drama, etc – and also a variety of loving relationships, from Nathalie's selfless adoration of Baptiste, to Baptiste's obsessive longing for Garance (memorably played by the film's star Arletty) and the Comte de Montray's possessive love of Garance. The only performance I didn't find compelling is that of Marcel Herrand as poet-murderer Lacenaire, a romantic caricature conceived by Prévert, and a character who is somehow not convincing as a human nor as a criminal.
What are convincing though are the costumes, designer by Egyptian-born Antoine Mayo, with the character of Frédérick Lemaître (played by Pierre Brasseur) one of the main beneficiaries as we track his journey from pantomime lion to Shakespearean star. It's fitting we should see Frédérick reading Othello before making his move on Garance, who is also being courted by Baptiste, as that’s also about two men competing for one women and the jealousy that entails. We then see their love tussle enacted on stage.
The plot then thickens as we find out actress Nathalie holds a flame for Baptiste (blurting out his name on stage, an obvious pantomime no-no) and that also the dandy Comte de Mortray now has his eyes on Garance. We find out her real name is Claire Reine, and that Garance is in fact the name of a flower. At the end of part 1, we see how tough Garance is under police questioning, and she looks triumphant as she hands the card of Comte de Mortray to police claiming a judicial error.
Several years have passed as we start part 2. Frédérick is still trapped in his dream of becoming a legendary actor despite being besieged by his creditors and under pressure from the creative directors of his latest play. He’s still living beyond his means but possesses the charisma to entertain audiences, especially those in the gods, turning the solemn material of his play into a successful comedic melodrama. Who do this holy trinity of the dramatic arts represent?
Garance says I used to laugh like that (referring to the people in the gods) but now finds that a "spring broke in the music box" of her mind since being in a relationship with the Comte de Mortray. Garance then confesses her undying love for Baptiste, who is now in a relationship with fellow actor Nathalie, and we see Nathalie glowing with happiness when Frédérick comes to visit them backstage. Nathalie sends her son to warn off her partner's suitor, but Baptiste still has feelings for Garance and is so lovesick that he cancels his performance on the same night as Frédérick’s new production of Othello opens. Baptiste and Garance finally have a night together, but Nathalie discovers them embracing and the film ends without resolution as we see Baptiste desperately trying to keep up with Garance as she disappears down the Boulevard du Crime. It's an astounding work of art.
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