CHILDREN OF PARADISE (LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS) Classic Film Retrospective

Based on a true story of the crime trial of the legendary mime, JeanGaspard Debureau, the story revolves around a group of performers and thieves living on the “Boulevard of Crime” of 1840’s Paris. A meditation on the true nature of love that the French are renowned for, the film has an incredibly complex structure that comments on the human condition in which love is elusive in men’s illusion-filled, fate-dominated lives.

This flawless masterpiece was shot at the height of World War II under Nazi rule on the streets of Paris. While the production endured constant threats of being shut down, the film clandestinely employed Jews, who were forbidden to work in the film ·industry. Considered by many to be the greatest French film of all time, CHILDREN OF PARADISE is a true piece of film art, filled with passion and intelligence.

“… the monument of the French cinema.” – Critic Jacques Natanson