#318: CLÉMENT, René: Forbidden Games (1952)
CLÉMENT, René (France)
Mathews details the film’s origins (initially part of an anthology); discusses the children and their roles, and — most importantly — clears up some of the confusion about the alternate opening and closing (see below).
Forbidden Games [1952]
Spine #318
DVD
OOP
DVD
OOP
A timeless evocation of childhood innocence corrupted, René Clément's Forbidden Games tells the story of a young girl orphaned by war and the farm boy she joins in a fantastical world of macabre play. At once mythical and heartbreakingly real, this unique film features astonishing performances by its child stars and was honored with a special foreign language film Academy Award in 1952.
85 minutes
Black & White
Black & White
Monaural
in French
1:33:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2005
Director/Writer
From the novel The Secret Game by François Boyer.
Adapted for the screen by Jean Aurenche, Pierre Bost, and René Clément.
Dialogue by Aurenche and Bost.
Clément was 39 when he directed Forbidden Games.
Clément studied architecture but preferred cinema. He made a lot of documentaries in the ‘30s; his first feature, The Battle of the Rails (1945), is about French railway workers who resisted the Germans.
He made four additional features before making this film in 1952.
From the novel The Secret Game by François Boyer; adapted for the screen by Jean Aurenche, Pierre Bost, and Clément; dialogue by Aurenche, Bost, and Boyer.
Other films by Clément in the Collection:
The Film
In the extras, Brigitte Fossey (Paulette) talks about how terrified she was during the bombing scene — both the filming of it and, later, with Clément. watching herself onscreen for the first time.
All these decades later it is still terrifying to watch. Fortunately — due in great part to the amazing abilities of five-year-old Fossey — the rest of the film is a complete pleasure, even if it gets a little weird at times.
Georges Poujouly doesn’t do too badly, either. He was 12. He plays complex emotions, like young guilt, with sublime subtlety. Lucien Hubert is outstanding as the father.
Film Rating (0-60):
The Booklet
16-page booklet with a new essay by film scholar Peter Matthews
55
The ExtrasThe Booklet
16-page booklet with a new essay by film scholar Peter Matthews
Mathews details the film’s origins (initially part of an anthology); discusses the children and their roles, and — most importantly — clears up some of the confusion about the alternate opening and closing (see below).
Commentary
None
Video interviews
Video interviews
Collection of new and archival interviews with Clément and Fossey
How amazing to see Fossey as an adult. The Clément interview is also quite good.
Alternate opening and ending
Alternate opening and ending
(see above) — these were completely finished scenes and were probably slated for inclusion until the very last moment. They are too pretty and saccharine to work with the harsh intensity of the rest of the film.
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