One of the best films of all time? I'm not a weepy romantic wallflower, but this movie is good stuff.
I won't summarize the characters for you, but the 5 or 6 main characters all represent different archetypes of the romantic experience. The acting here is superb. The first appearances by the primary male lead characters, Frederick and Baptiste, are brilliant and hilarious. Baptiste's physical comedy in particular is a riot.
The whole film is carried by the acting and dialog. There are a number of violent and sexual moments, but they all happen tastefully off-screen. The writing is so fantastic, replete with hilarious puns, arguments and inspired homages to Shakespearean prose. Seriously, this writing is STRONG. Take notes, fledgling screen-writers!
But the tragic elements are emphasized too. The film is full of despicable characters, ironic and painful moments, and wisdom too great for the characters to ever grasp. Even some of the comedic moments have a twist of tragedy to them, with artists who have unwittingly evolved into caricatures of themselves, actors who have become themselves on and off the stage and dreams which are so large they make the person forget to pursue them (if that makes any sense).
And how about the layered elements of the tale? The movie opens with curtains to reveal a story about brilliant actors who cannot see the width of the world stage they inhabit outside of their careers. Except it isn't like a post-modernist method of layered presentation because such a method of telling the story is never a focal point. It's simply a nice bonus that leaves you thinking about your own life after the curtains are drawn.
Do we love ourselves, other people, or just the feeling of love that other people can evoke from us? Sometimes one is not in love, but only enamored by the other as a muse. I feel like French culture is one that has meditated on these themes profusely and Children of Paradise certainly covers all the bases.
I won't summarize the characters for you, but the 5 or 6 main characters all represent different archetypes of the romantic experience. The acting here is superb. The first appearances by the primary male lead characters, Frederick and Baptiste, are brilliant and hilarious. Baptiste's physical comedy in particular is a riot.
The whole film is carried by the acting and dialog. There are a number of violent and sexual moments, but they all happen tastefully off-screen. The writing is so fantastic, replete with hilarious puns, arguments and inspired homages to Shakespearean prose. Seriously, this writing is STRONG. Take notes, fledgling screen-writers!
But the tragic elements are emphasized too. The film is full of despicable characters, ironic and painful moments, and wisdom too great for the characters to ever grasp. Even some of the comedic moments have a twist of tragedy to them, with artists who have unwittingly evolved into caricatures of themselves, actors who have become themselves on and off the stage and dreams which are so large they make the person forget to pursue them (if that makes any sense).
And how about the layered elements of the tale? The movie opens with curtains to reveal a story about brilliant actors who cannot see the width of the world stage they inhabit outside of their careers. Except it isn't like a post-modernist method of layered presentation because such a method of telling the story is never a focal point. It's simply a nice bonus that leaves you thinking about your own life after the curtains are drawn.
Do we love ourselves, other people, or just the feeling of love that other people can evoke from us? Sometimes one is not in love, but only enamored by the other as a muse. I feel like French culture is one that has meditated on these themes profusely and Children of Paradise certainly covers all the bases.