Children of Paradise (Criterion Collection) (DVD)

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 lien, 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