Children of Paradise
The setting is Paris, France in the 1840s. The Boulevard of Crime is crowded. People entertain on the streets and in the mime theater, the Funambules. Frederick Lemaitre (Pierre Brasseur), an aspiring…
Children of Paradise
The setting is Paris, France in the 1840s. The Boulevard of Crime is crowded. People entertain on the streets and in the mime theater, the Funambules. Frederick Lemaitre (Pierre Brasseur), an aspiring actor, wants to get a job there. He is diverted by seeing a beautiful woman, named Garance (Arletty). She is Truth in a street exhibition. Frederick flirt with her. She is the mistress to Pierre-Francois Lacenaire (Marcel Herrand), a local criminal who writes comedies. Lacenaire is a cynic who hates humanity and wages war on society by robbing and stealing. He doesn't love Garance, but he wants her for his own selfish reasons. Garance and Lacenair stop in front of the Funambules. Outside Anselme Deburau (Etienne Decroux) urges everyone inside the theater; his foolish son Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault) sits outside and dreams. Lacenaire steals a man's pocket watch and leaves behind Garance to take the rap. The police want to arrest her, but Baptiste says he saw what happened. He does a remarkable mine act by showing how the man stole the watch. Some time later, Frederick is hired to play a lion in the Funambules. Because of his success outside, Baptiste performs mime inside. He becomes a big star. Baptiste and Frederick meet and become friends. At Baptiste's rooming house, Frederick seduces the landlady, Madame Hermine. Meanwhile, Baptiste goes to a local tavern for a drink. He asks Garance to dance with him. Arvil (Fabien Loris), Lacenaire's companion, tries to scare Baptiste off, but Baptiste wins their fight. Baptiste takes the homeless Garance home with him where they kiss passionately, but he is too shy to make love to her. He flees from her room. The next morning, Frederick and Garance meet again, and she invites him to her room where they decide to live together. A little later, Garance begins working at the Funambules in a skit that Baptiste writes. Having lost her to Frederick, Baptiste contemplates suicide as he is very miserable. Natalie (Maria Casares) the daughter of the stage director (Marcel Peres), is also miserable because she loves Baptiste, but he does not return her affections. Over time, Frederic and Garance realize that despite their intimacy, they do not love each other. A local count named Edouard de Montray (Louis Salou) has been watching Garance perform every night. Count Montray approaches Garance and wants to possess her, but she turns him down, but takes his business card. Meanwhile, Lacenaire robs a debt collector in a room he got from Madame Hermine by using Garance's name. The police show up one day to arrest her for being Lacenaire's accomplice. In desperation, Garance shows the police Count Montray's card by saying that she knows him. As a result, Garance will not go to prison, but she will have to become mistress to the count. Jumping forward several years later, Lacenaire is arrested and goes to prison after being caught stealing. Garance and the count travel around France and abroad. Baptist and Nathalie have gotten married and have a son. Frederick becomes a great stage actor at the Grand Theater. Garance begins to realize that she really loves Baptiste. Back in Paris, Garance goes every night to see Baptiste perform on stage. There she meets Frederick. He tells Baptiste that Garance is in town. Baptiste becomes emotional because he only loves her and not Nathalie. Garance tries to stay away from him rather then break up his family. Also, Lacenaire meets Frederick and has the urge to kill him if he does not give him any money, but Frederick willingly does so. Meanwhile, Lacenaire is reunited with Garance and is disappointed that she is unchanged. His bleak view of humanity is changes by the two life incidents. Count Montray thinks that Garance is in love with Frederick in which is he publicly insults him into fighting a duel with pistols. But Lacenaire pulls back a curtain to reveal Garance and Baptiste kissing. Lacenaire kills the count before the duel knowing he will be arrested. Garance and Baptiste sleep together for the first time, but she leaves him to go back to the count, who she doesn't realizes is dead, so that he will not have to kill Frederick. Baptist runs after Garance... past Nathalie and his son. He is unable to pass through the great crowd around them. Garance's horse-drawn carriage rides away and disappears from view.
Children of Paradise
Drama,Romance
Film Details
The setting is Paris, France in the 1840s. The Boulevard of Crime is crowded. People entertain on the streets and in the mime theater, the Funambules.
Frederick Lemaitre (Pierre Brasseur), an aspiring actor, wants to get a job there. He is diverted by seeing a beautiful woman, named Garance (Arletty). She is Truth in a street exhibition.
Frederick flirt with her. She is the mistress to Pierre-Francois Lacenaire (Marcel Herrand), a local criminal who writes comedies. Lacenaire is a cynic who hates humanity and wages war on society by robbing and stealing.
He doesn't love Garance, but he wants her for his own selfish reasons. Garance and Lacenair stop in front of the Funambules. Outside Anselme Deburau (Etienne Decroux) urges everyone inside the theater; his foolish son Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault) sits outside and dreams.
Lacenaire steals a man's pocket watch and leaves behind Garance to take the rap. The police want to arrest her, but Baptiste says he saw what happened. He does a remarkable mine act by showing how the man stole the watch.
Some time later, Frederick is hired to play a lion in the Funambules. Because of his success outside, Baptiste performs mime inside. He becomes a big star.
Baptiste and Frederick meet and become friends. At Baptiste's rooming house, Frederick seduces the landlady, Madame Hermine. Meanwhile, Baptiste goes to a local tavern for a drink.
He asks Garance to dance with him. Arvil (Fabien Loris), Lacenaire's companion, tries to scare Baptiste off, but Baptiste wins their fight. Baptiste takes the homeless Garance home with him where they kiss passionately, but he is too shy to make love to her.
He flees from her room. The next morning, Frederick and Garance meet again, and she invites him to her room where they decide to live together. A little later, Garance begins working at the Funambules in a skit that Baptiste writes.
Having lost her to Frederick, Baptiste contemplates suicide as he is very miserable. Natalie (Maria Casares) the daughter of the stage director (Marcel Peres), is also miserable because she loves Baptiste, but he does not return her affections. Over time, Frederic and Garance realize that despite their intimacy, they do not love each other.
A local count named Edouard de Montray (Louis Salou) has been watching Garance perform every night. Count Montray approaches Garance and wants to possess her, but she turns him down, but takes his business card. Meanwhile, Lacenaire robs a debt collector in a room he got from Madame Hermine by using Garance's name.
The police show up one day to arrest her for being Lacenaire's accomplice. In desperation, Garance shows the police Count Montray's card by saying that she knows him. As a result, Garance will not go to prison, but she will have to become mistress to the count.
Jumping forward several years later, Lacenaire is arrested and goes to prison after being caught stealing. Garance and the count travel around France and abroad. Baptist and Nathalie have gotten married and have a son.
Frederick becomes a great stage actor at the Grand Theater. Garance begins to realize that she really loves Baptiste. Back in Paris, Garance goes every night to see Baptiste perform on stage.
There she meets Frederick. He tells Baptiste that Garance is in town. Baptiste becomes emotional because he only loves her and not Nathalie.
Garance tries to stay away from him rather then break up his family. Also, Lacenaire meets Frederick and has the urge to kill him if he does not give him any money, but Frederick willingly does so. Meanwhile, Lacenaire is reunited with Garance and is disappointed that she is unchanged.
His bleak view of humanity is changes by the two life incidents. Count Montray thinks that Garance is in love with Frederick in which is he publicly insults him into fighting a duel with pistols. But Lacenaire pulls back a curtain to reveal Garance and Baptiste kissing.
Lacenaire kills the count before the duel knowing he will be arrested. Garance and Baptiste sleep together for the first time, but she leaves him to go back to the count, who she doesn't realizes is dead, so that he will not have to kill Frederick. Baptist runs after Garance...
past Nathalie and his son. He is unable to pass through the great crowd around them. Garance's horse-drawn carriage rides away and disappears from view..