Children of Paradise
1945 · Movie · NR · 190 min · ★ 8.1 · 97% critics
In bustling 19th-century Paris, a young performer becomes the center of attention for four very different men, from the theater world to the upper class and the criminal underworld. As their rivalries grow, the story moves between street life and the stage, blending romance, ambition, and jealousy in a vivid portrait of a city in motion.
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Details
- Original title
- Les Enfants du Paradis
- Years
- 1945
- Release date
- 1945-03-15
- Language
- French
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 190 min
- Critic score
- 97/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.1/10 (461 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want an immersive, theatrical-feeling historical romance with big emotions, lively street scenes, and bittersweet mood; Not for you if you dislike long runtimes or melodrama—try Port of Shadows or The Rules of the Game.
Pros: lavish period world; witty poetic dialogue; engaging two-part epic | Cons: very long runtime; romance may feel thin; second half meanders
Themes
- pantomime
- anarchist
- count
- love
- thief
- murder
- mime
- black and white
- false accusations
- hoodlum
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · 1947 · nominated
Cast & crew
Arletty
as Claire Reine, dite Garance
Jean-Louis Barrault
as Baptiste Debureau
Pierre Brasseur
as Frédérick Lemaître
Marcel Herrand
as Pierre-François Lacenaire
María Casares
as Nathalie
Louis Salou
as Édouard comte de Montray
Pierre Renoir
as Jericho
Jane Marken
as Mme Hermine
Gaston Modot
as Fil de Soie
Fabien Loris
as Avril
Directed by Marcel Carné