Rene Clement's Jeux Interdits opens with, perhaps, the most harrowing depiction of war committed to celluloid. A multitude of Parisians file down a dusty country road, while the Luftwaffe circles above. Bombs drop; machine guns blaze. At the end of it, a little girl is orphaned; moreover, she's crushed her beloved dog Jock in an attempt to escape the machine gun fire that took down her parents. Not shocked and not necessarily sad, the girl carries the limp puppy onward (she does not know he is dead) until an elderly couple picks her up and tosses the lifeless canine into a nearby river. It's a completely devastating way to spend ten minutes.
The remaining film, in which the little girl, Paulette, comes to live with the rustic Dolles and cause their young son Michel to become totally smitten, is now less emotionally charged (though it does lack a certain visceral, gut-punching quality inherent in the film's beginning). Jeux Interdits explores death through the eyes of children who either do not understand or only partly understand the concept. The mysteriousness of mortality has never been more touchingly portrayed, and I can think of few other films that dwell so single-mindedly on this theme. There probably do not need to be more films like this, as, when you hit the perfect note on your first attempt, there's no need for another try.
Additionally, childhood has rarely been captured so accurately (the apparent callous innocence of these children is pitch perfect and recalls to mind the axiom, "forgive them, they know not what they do). The youths in this film are not idealized: Paulette is selfish and finicky, but that is not a character fault--she's simply young--and Michel, eager to please her, commits acts at which the audience frowns but which the audience understands. Though innocents, these children are anything but idealized and that's immensely important to a film that deals with so much death.
Beyond thematics, the acting, especially by the kids, is uniformly excellent and adds to the touching humanism of the film. The cinematography and framing is also wonderful. It's subtle, but Clement arranges his actors within the frame in a masterful and painterly way. Watching the film I paused it several times to simply enjoy the tableau.
All in all, Jeux Interdits is an amazing achievement and, I think, should be more highly regarded (or it should simply be regarded by a wider audience). It ranks among the best in French film--among the 400 Blows, the Grand Illusions, the Breathlesses. It's a remarkable movie, which you should watch immediately.
The remaining film, in which the little girl, Paulette, comes to live with the rustic Dolles and cause their young son Michel to become totally smitten, is now less emotionally charged (though it does lack a certain visceral, gut-punching quality inherent in the film's beginning). Jeux Interdits explores death through the eyes of children who either do not understand or only partly understand the concept. The mysteriousness of mortality has never been more touchingly portrayed, and I can think of few other films that dwell so single-mindedly on this theme. There probably do not need to be more films like this, as, when you hit the perfect note on your first attempt, there's no need for another try.
Additionally, childhood has rarely been captured so accurately (the apparent callous innocence of these children is pitch perfect and recalls to mind the axiom, "forgive them, they know not what they do). The youths in this film are not idealized: Paulette is selfish and finicky, but that is not a character fault--she's simply young--and Michel, eager to please her, commits acts at which the audience frowns but which the audience understands. Though innocents, these children are anything but idealized and that's immensely important to a film that deals with so much death.
Beyond thematics, the acting, especially by the kids, is uniformly excellent and adds to the touching humanism of the film. The cinematography and framing is also wonderful. It's subtle, but Clement arranges his actors within the frame in a masterful and painterly way. Watching the film I paused it several times to simply enjoy the tableau.
All in all, Jeux Interdits is an amazing achievement and, I think, should be more highly regarded (or it should simply be regarded by a wider audience). It ranks among the best in French film--among the 400 Blows, the Grand Illusions, the Breathlesses. It's a remarkable movie, which you should watch immediately.