Arletty and Jean-Louis Barrault Iconically Shine in Marcel Carné’s Masterful Paradise

 

                One of French Cinema’s crowning glories, director Marcel Carné’s mesmerizing romantic drama Children of Paradise (Les Enfants du Paradis) spins a fascinating tale involving a wealth of intrigue and the complex, complicated relationships involved therein. Centered around the shifting fortunes, artistic and otherwise, found among a group of colorful characters introduced on Paris’ “Boulevard of Crime” circa the 1830’s, the transfixing plot is beautifully laid out via frequent Carné collaborator Jacques Prévert’s incisive, efficient screenplay, which carefully outlines the progression of the rich array of imposing personages working and interacting at the Funamblues Theater, some based on actual historical figures, including a jovial, amorous actor, Frédérick Lemaître, the melancholic but ultra-gifted mime, Baptiste Deburau, the ignoble, dangerous Pierre Lacenarie, the proud Count de Montray and the woman they all covet, the serene, forthright Garance Reine. How these four form relations and impact each other in surprising, unorthodox ways during the abundant 190-minute runtime is illustrated by Carné and his brilliant cast and crew with a depth and flair that allow Paradise to place among the most engrossing narratives in film history.

                Carné, a leading figure in French cinema after making his feature film directional debut via 1936’s Jenny then finding great success with his previous work, 1942’s Les Visiteurs du Soir, poured all of his talent and resources into creating the opulent Paradise, somehow managing to pull off the bold undertaking during the mid-1940’s while in the midst of WWII devastation surrounding him and his large group of technicians in front and behind the camera. Overseeing the challenging assignment, including a mammoth cast and difficult on-location shooting that captures the perfect mise en scène for the story via Roger Hubert’s impeccable cinematography, with great attention to detail Carné upholds a firm focus on conveying the main themes concerning how art and passion affect the lives of the main players, outlining their various predicaments with conviction and dramatic clarity, while directing some major set pieces, including the elaborate segments on the fast-paced, congested Boulevard of Crime, with riveting style and sense of place, specifically during the stunning recreation of a frenetic carnival at its peak of activity on the Boulevard. After this phenomenal accomplishment, Carné would continue as a leading director, gaining critical and public acclaim in the 1950s with 1953’s Thérèse Raquin, which won the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, and 1958’s Les tricheurs, a huge hit in France and Switzerland, after first being responsible for early film appearances by Yves Montand and Jean-Paul Belmondo, then later granting Robert De Niro his film debut in 1965’s Trois chambres à Manhattan. After building one of the more influential filmographies of his era, Carné would pass in October 1996 at age 90.

Arletty, who debuted in films in 1930 after extensive stage work, holds the screen with a mystique and easy command in her signature role as Garance, a street-smart, impetuous siren that lives life on her terms with a modern independence, but reveals a tender side once she connects with the equally smitten Baptiste. Possessing a bemused countenance with a frequent smile that suggests Mona Lisa’s trademark, Arletty imbues Garance with a rare, captivating stillness and practical nature that marks her among the most unique presences in film, allowing Garance to fall somewhere in between heroine and femme fatale. Her intuitive, natural acting talent is exquisitely showcased by Carné, continuing his work with Arletty after their fruitful collaborations which started with Hotel du Nord in 1938 and included Le jour se lève and Les Visiteurs prior to Paradise. Arletty is clearly in her element as Garance, performing with a confidence and instinct that make it hard for a viewer to focus on anyone else whenever she’s onscreen. Although Garance is often self-serving and tough, her brave, fearless demeanor draws the audience to her side as they wish her to overcome adversity and find some harmony in life. The gifted, skillful star is also winning in adopting a gentle, caring attitude in highly personal moments with the sensitive Jean-Louis Barrault as Baptiste, whether Garance is initially attempting to seduce the mime with her claim of the easy nature of love or, later in the film, revealing how vulnerable and sincere Garance, now fully enveloped in her passion for Baptiste, has become. After her unsurpassable triumph in Paradise Arletty, although sidelined around the time of the film’s release by a brief imprisonment for treason after an affair with a German officer, would remain a leading star of French films while also starring on stage, highlighted by her appearance as Blanche in the French production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Later in her career, Arletty would finally appear in a Hollywood production, as part of the all-star cast in Darryl Zanuck’s epic 1962 war drama The Longest Day, before retiring from films, outside of voice work and an appearance as herself, the following year in Le voyage à Biarritz opposite the top clown of French Cinema, Fernandel. After a lengthy retirement, Arletty would pass in 1992 at age 94.

For Jean-Louis Barrault, Paradise also represented a chance to leave his indelible footprint in a part perfectly suited to his thespian talents and distinctive physical presence. As Baptiste, the gangly-but-graceful mime, Barrault is given ample opportunity to enact several creative pantomime routines on the Funamblues stage, making a huge impression as “The Man in White,” the title of the second half of the film, who is adorned in a white ensemble, including stark, chalky facial makeup that literally paints Barrault with one of the most original visages seen in film. Out of costume, the gaunt Barrault is also eye-catching, with his soulful eyes and sharp facial features matching up well with Arletty’s equally romantic profile, while they exude a tender, moving chemistry as the fragile love affair plays out. Beginning in the theater in 1931, wherein he studied pantomime as well as other artistic forms of expression, Barrault would make his start in films with a 1935 appearance in Beautiful Days, then work regularly in movies, including two projects with Carné before Paradise, while also achieving great success as a star of the renown Comédie-Française in the 1940s. After his landmark role as Baptiste, Barrault would continue to make his mark on stage and film, with Max Ophüls’ La Ronde from 1950 offering another top entry in Barrault’s filmography, before his retirement in 1990, followed by his passing in 1994 at age 83.

Pierre Brasseur is responsible for providing the most joie de vivre in Paradise in a multifaceted, vastly appealing performance as the carefree, amorous Frédérick who, similar to Garance, appears to live free of societal norms as he forges his own path in regard to life and career. Brasseur colorfully allows a viewer to see the egotism that would drive this charismatic talent to success on stage as he works his way into the pantomimes at the celebrated Funamblues despite having no prior experience in this particular field, while also showing Frédérick possesses the sense of humor to take nothing too seriously, starting with himself. Marcel Herrand adds dark dimensions to his unsettling portrayal of Lacenaire, bringing a diabolical fierceness to the role that suggests Lacenaire is capable of any crime known to man, and maybe some others as well. Pierre Renoir, son of the legendary impressionist painter and brother of director Jean, also channels a heap of sinisterness into his work as the untrustworthy ragman Jėricho, while Louis Salou is coolly regal and stoic as Garance’s patronizing, jealous lover, Count de Montray. As Baptiste’s loyal, long-suffering wife and acting colleague, María Casares makes a solid film debut and effectively procures audience sympathy However, unlike her esteemed costars, Casares would wait a few more years before obtaining her most powerful and lasting cinematic exploit as the figure of Death in Jean Cocteau’s Orpheus, wherein Casares utilizes her magnetic eyes to eerily devasting effect.

                Paradise was an immediate hit both critically and with audiences upon its Paris premiere in March of 1945, wherein it played for over a year in one theater. This strong initial showing in France carried over internationally, with the movie winning Special Mention at the 1946 Venice Film Festival and Prévert going on to win an Academy Award nomination for Original Screenplay, a rare feat at the time for a foreign language film. The reputation of Paradise as one of filmdom’s most significant works has been enhanced over the years, with the classic named the “Greatest French Film” via a 1995 poll of 600 French critics and industry experts, then going on to find a place on Time magazine’s 2005 list of the 100 greatest films, and placing at #136 on the recent 2022 prestigious Sight and Sound poll, after coming in at #75 on the 2012 survey. A must-watch for film lovers seeking out the most impressive cinematic achievements from the Golden Age of movies, Children of Paradise offers an epic, enticing, and thoroughly engrossing viewing experience sure to linger in memory, thanks to the skillful, highly individual efforts of Carné and his sterling team of illustrious artists.