Les Enfants du Paradis (released as Children of Paradise in North America, but more correctly translated as Children of the Gods) is a 1945 film by French director Marcel Carné, made during the Nazi occupation of France. The film is nominally set around the Parisian theatre in the 1830s and tells the story of a beautiful courtesan, Garance, and the four men who love her in their own ways: a mime, an actor, a criminal and an aristocrat. It is a 3 hour film, described in the original American trailer as the French answer to Gone with the Wind. The film was voted "Best French Film Ever" in a poll of 600 French critics and professionals in 1995.
I watched this film last night, and it is as incredible as they say. Especially notable was the character of "Baptiste".
I don't remember if I told you that my daughter is called Garance :)
ReplyDeleteReally? That's nice, according to the movie it's the name of a flower?
ReplyDeleteActually, Garance is the name of a plant, which roots are used to make a special color called red Garance (rouge Garance).
ReplyDeleteThe French soldiers at the beginning of WWI were wearing pants in that particular red. Needless say that the Germans could see them from very far and shot them very easily!
So the red pants were replaced by blue-gray pants...