Children of Paradise (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)

Poetic realism reached sublime heights with CHILDREN OF PARADISE (LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS), widely considered one of the greatest French films of all time. This nimble depiction of nineteenth-century Paris's theatrical demimonde, filmed during World War II, follows a mysterious woman (THE PEARLS OF THE CROWN'S Arletty) loved by four different men (all based on historical figures): an actor, a criminal, a count, and, most poignantly, a street mime (LA RONDE'S Jean-Louis Barrault, in a longing-suffused performance for the ages). with sensitivity and dramatic ilan, director Marcel Carni (PORT OF SHADOWS) and screenwriter Jacques Privert (LE JOUR SE LHVE) resurrect a world teeming with hucksters and aristocrats, thieves and courtesans, pimps and seers. Thanks to a major new restoration, this iconic classic looks and sounds richer and more detailed than ever.

Starring: Albert Remy, Jean-Louis Barrault, Marcel Herrand, Pierre Brasseur, Pierre Renoir, Arletty, Auguste Boverio, Etienne Decroux, Fabien Loris, Gaston Modot, Guy Favieres, Jacques Castelot, Jane Marken [Jeanne], Jean Carmet, Jean Lanier, Léon Larive, Louis Salou, Marcel Pérès, Maria Casarés, Paul Demange, Paul Frankeur, Pierre Palau, Robert Dhéry

Director: Fred Orain