morrison-dylan-fan With my film viewing having slowed down due to needing to take care of ill family members,I decided to pick things up during the last days of the French challenge on ICM. Finding Purple Noon, The Walls of Malapaga and Les Maudits to be excellent Film Noir's (and also knowing his role behind the classic Beauty and the Beast) I decided that it was time to play games with Rene Clement.The plot:Chasing after her dog during an air raid, Paulette is pushed to the ground by her parents,as a plane starts firing the ground. Getting up,Paulette discovers that along with her pet,mum and dad have also been shot dead. While trying find comfort from her dead pet,Paulette crosses paths with 10 year old Michel Dollé. Finding Paulette all on her own, Dollé gets his family to "unofficially" adopt Paulette.Unable to hold a funeral for her parents,Paulette starts wanting to give her pet a fitting send off,which leads to Dollé playing a forbidden game of stealing crosses for Paulette's animal funerals.View on the film:Not playing games with their impeccable transfer,Studiocanel keep the soundtrack and subtitles crisp and easy to read/listen to,whilst retaining the grain of the image.Expanding on footage shot for an abandoned anthology a year after initial production,co-writer(with Jean Aurenche/Pierre Bost and François Boyer) directing auteur Rene Clement & cinematographer Robert Juillard make the footage blend in seamlessly,with Clement making sure that the fake wigs and teeth hide the growth spurt of the leads. Following the bullets running along the pavement to Paulette's parents,Clement continues expanding on his major visual theme of claustrophobic, confined locations,in the farm of the Dolle's being lined with shadows that Clement enters in stylishly shots allowing the darkness of war to seep into the farm. Staying at the same level as Paulette and Michel,Clement and Juillard give the duo a brisk,crisp appearance which subtly reflects the light they give each other from the darkness of war.Killing Paulette's family within the first 5 minutes (!) the writers make the effect of WWII give the characters a superb, unsettling casual treatment of death,with the lack of awareness the adult Dollé's show towards one of them being on his death bed,matching Paulette showing more interest in her dead pet than her dead parents. Keeping Paulette and Michel's graveyard separate from the adults,the writers brilliantly unearth a satirical cross at the church with the simmering anti-war theme worn with the children performing funeral rituals to deaths that they know nothing of.Encouraged by her parents to take the role,6 year old Brigitte Fossey gives an absolutely incredible performance as Paulette. Heart wrenching continuing to stroke her pet long since taken by the stench of death,Fossey threads Paulette in an innocent (but not naïve) melancholy,lit by Paulette trying to perfect the funeral rituals for her beloved animals-which Paulette is not able to perform for her own family. Just 6 years older than Fossey, Georges Poujouly gives a remarkable,complex performance as Michel. Sharing Paulette's innocence's to death,Poujouly layers Michel with an earthy awareness of the effects that WWII is having on his family,as Michel and Paulette experience the forbidden games of war.

thegodfathersaga Child psychology is fascinating in the way it employs fantasy and games to deny hard hitting reality and ultimately spawn happiness out of the blue; It's a futile and inconsequential past time to adults, but it's a reason for being to children. The film gets that, and not in the slightest tries to manipulate the children's vulnerabilities for an easy and fat emotional output - which, i imagine, would seem counter- intuitive to a Hollywood studio - instead, the film is told from the children's perspective, as Twan mentioned; my favorite scenes are those shared between Paulette and Michel, we get to observe their innocence and realness, and the film doesn't shy away from the gullibilities of their understanding of life and death, the music helps in that but never to oversell it.Another part of child psychology i find compelling is the philosophy of "i want it, then it should be mine". I'm still struggling to understand the moral incentives for such acts; children don't feel remorse unless if maybe punishment is in line, and they are certainly convinced that they have better use of whatever they've stolen. maybe they do it out of some burning need to experiment and to explore some feeling of control.Jeux interdits (Forbidden Games) is a powerful film because it is not compromising. The story of Paulette and Michel doesn't end well for them, and the film closes on a sad note, perhaps advancing the notion that life is ultimately defined by loss and hardships, finely accentuated in Michel's eventual disposal of the crosses.

ags123 I'm still crying my eyes out after watching this thing. Usually, I hate movies with children as the main characters. This is something else entirely - a simple tale with the most powerful antiwar statement imaginable. No pretense or preachiness, the filmmakers let the message come across seemingly by default. How skillful is that? And those two children!! Have you ever seen such convincing performances from anyone? This is a heartbreaker from start to finish, but along the way it's fraught with positive insights, even glints of humor. What a remarkable achievement to make such a profoundly shattering point and disguise it as entertainment! Truly unlike anything I've ever seen. Even the abrupt ending makes perfect sense - what more can you say after all that's transpired? This film just shot to the top of my all time favorite list.

danjakubik Forbidden Games / Directed by: Rene Clement / France/ 1952 / BW* * * * Wow. That's a word I rarely use in reaction to a film. I'm a highly selective film enthusiast and not easy to impress. This is a truly unique, profound, powerful and impressive film, which exceeded my expectations. "Forbidden Games" is a masterpiece. Definitely a rare and special film, one that literally blew me away. I've never seen anything quite like it before. I'm referring to it's remarkable combination of inspired direction, unusual story, universal themes, story telling style and technique.A young girl in 1940 France becomes orphaned, when both her parents are shot and killed in a countryside, during a Nazi air raid. As vividly depicted in the film, the girl's sudden loss of her parents is shocking. She then suffers the loss of her beloved pet dog. The girl is rescued and adopted by a rural family passing by and taken into their home for care and protection. The young girl befriends an older boy of the family. They begin collecting crosses and create a secret animal cemetery, following the adult lead of using the healing power of religion and ritual to help cope with death. A tender and respectful friendship and bond of love eventually develops between them.An unusual, intense, realistic, heart wrenching opening sequence and a near perfect ending are the bookends of this great film. The opening sequence of the film qualifies as one of the greats in the history of cinema. Of special note, the film features very natural and believable acting performances from the two children in lead roles. This is a big credit to the talent of director Clement. At the time, both children were completely non-professional first time actors. This film won me over emotionally, by the end of it's first third. The second third of the film, earned my complete admiration and respect in a big way. It's unusual for a film to achieve so much, one third of the way in and not depend on the usual traditional storytelling climax, resolution and closed ending.This is definitely not a film for young children, due to mature, adult themes about dying, death, loss, anguish and grief. 18+ recommended. The opening sequence is graphic, violent and most of all, intensely emotional, way too much information for any child to process, without being traumatized. After this powerful story and character setup, the remainder of the film is more acceptable for a combined child and parent viewing experience. Adolescents might be able to handle/process some of the mature themes of the film. It's really a film best appreciated by mature adults, hence my 18+ recommendation.The photographic style and director's technique are convincingly realistic. The black and white photography is quite beautiful, rich in shades of gray, contrast and creative lighting, to convincingly evoke mood. Of special note is the careful, economical use of classical music throughout the film, especially during emotional scenes. Very much a director's film and done with great style and technique. The opening sequence is especially brave and confident. Basically, an intelligent, perceptive screenplay combines with expert inspired direction to create a film masterpiece.This powerful and memorable film shows how these two children, especially the girl, react to war, process loss, grief and attempt to cope with all the death and destruction going on around them, in a manner fitting to their age. There's scenes of great sorrow, beauty, honesty and tenderness all throughout the film.Director Clement shows remarkable sensitivity and awareness, a father like dedication, sincerity of purpose, emotional motivation and support to his two child lead actors. The acting performances of the children Georges Poujouly and Brigitte Fossey are truly remarkable and impressive. Considering Fossey was only five years old at the time, her performance in particular, is amazing. Clement established a rare and great connection of mutual artistic benefit with both children.This film quickly entered my short list of personal favorite/best ever films. That's the thing about a masterpiece: it strikes a universal nerve immediately, by the sheer power of it's artistry and technique. Winner of the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion Award and Best Foreign Language film Oscar. Very highly recommended.