Overview
A tale of unrequited love unfolds in the vibrant streets of 1830s Paris, where passion and heartbreak intertwine.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- romantic
- melancholic
- witty
- classic film night
- romantic drama evening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Marcel Carné's lavish, witty, beautifully performed French epic as a masterful and enduring achievement despite its considerable length.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Baptiste's mime performances and the Boulevard du Crime theatrical world repeatedly reflect the characters' desires and deceptions.
Baptiste's enduring love for Garance is opposed by her independence and by competing suitors who seek to possess her.
The 1830s Paris avenue is filled with performers, thieves, streetwalkers, and spectators whose lives intersect around the theaters.
Carné's expansive sets, curtain-like divisions, and monochrome photography evoke both stage spectacle and cinematic fantasy.
Films like Children of Paradise, and why
The Leopard
lavish period romance, theatrical spectacle, and emotionally complex romantic longing
Le Jour Se Lève
French poetic realism, doomed love, and richly atmospheric black-and-white mise-en-scène
A Star Is Born
theater-centered ensemble drama, romantic entanglements, and performance blurring into life
The Earrings of Madame de...
stylized black-and-white period melodrama focused on unrequited love and social performance
Movie Details
- Director
- Marcel Carné
- Release Date
- 1945-03-15
- Runtime
- 190 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (471)
Cast
- Arletty
- Jean-Louis Barrault
- Pierre Brasseur
- Marcel Herrand
- María Casares
- Louis Salou
- Pierre Renoir
- Jane Marken
- Gaston Modot
- Fabien Loris
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Children of Paradise about?
- A sweeping Parisian theater romance follows a sensitive mime whose devotion to an elusive courtesan collides with desire, performance, and freedom.
- What is Children of Paradise like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Children of Paradise as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Children of Paradise violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Children of Paradise as mild.
- What did critics think of Children of Paradise?
- Critics broadly regard Marcel Carné's lavish, witty, beautifully performed French epic as a masterful and enduring achievement despite its considerable length.
- Which films are like Children of Paradise?
- Films with a similar feel include The Leopard, Le Jour Se Lève, A Star Is Born, and The Earrings of Madame de....
- How long is Children of Paradise?
- Children of Paradise runs 190 minutes.
- Where can I watch Children of Paradise?
- In United States, Children of Paradise streams on IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel.
