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Children of Paradise: Discussion Questions 1. Ben McCann argues that this film is an allegory of the
Occupation. What elements of the film function as Allegory? What elements of the film suggest the Occupation? What message does the film seem to convey about these two things?
2. Another aspect of the film that McCann points to is the relationship between the theater and the street or life and art. In what way does this duality function in the film? What elements of the film suggest theater and which street? Do these elements blur and intertwine? If so, where?
3. Think about space and time in this film. How is each structured by the film (camerawork and editing)? How does each function? In what way do space and time contribute to the themes above?
Children of Paradise
Themes, Settings, Context, Visual Composition
Context
Made during Nazi Occupation in “Free” France (Studios de la Victorine)
Made outside of official production channels (not through Continental Films)
Made collaboratively in studio production style with many of the “stars” of French cinema (actors, producers, set designers, etc.)
Made during rationing and shortages (via the blackmarket) but mise-en-scene belies this
Setting
Historical Setting
Paris—Boulevard du Temple (Boulevard du Crime) Theater 1840s References to actual historical figures (Fréderick
Lemaître, Baptiste / Jean-Gaspard Debureau) Fictionalized account that blends elements of
history
Decors (Scenes)
Street and Theater
Themes
Life vs art (theater vs reality) Art vs. art (mime vs. theater / theater vs. cinema) Sound vs. silence (what can and can’t be said) Censorship / Surveillance Performance (Role Playing) Power (economic, political, artistic) Resistance / Revolution Love
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