Jeux interdits (1952)

Director:

René Clément

Writers:

Jean Aurenche (dialogue)
Jean Aurenche (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 December 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

War...and how it affects the lives of our children

Plot:

A young French girl orphaned in a Nazi air attack is befriended by the son of a poor farmer, and together they try to come to terms with the realities of death.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Cemetery | 1940s | Fleeing | Insect

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins

Cast

Georges Poujouly	...	Michel Dolle
Brigitte Fossey	...	Paulette
Amédée	...	Francis Gouard
Laurence Badie	...	Berthe Dolle
Madeleine Barbulée	...	Red Cross Nun (end of film)
Suzanne Courtal	...	Madame Dolle
Lucien Hubert	...	Dolle, the Father
Jacques Marin	...	Georges Dolle
Pierre Merovée	...	Raymond Dolle
Violette Monnier
Denise Péronne	...	Jeanne Gouard (as Denise Perronne)
Fernande Roy
Louis Saintève	...	Priest
André Wasley	...	Gouard, the Father

Also Known As:

Forbidden Games (USA)
The Secret Game
Apigorevmena paihnidia (Greece) [el]
Brincadeiras Proibidas (Portugal) (original subtitled version) [pt]
Brinquedo Proibido (Brazil) [pt]
Förbjuden lek (Sweden) [sv]
Forbudte lege (Denmark) [da]
Giochi proibiti (Italy) [it]
Jeux interdits (Belgium: French title) [fr]
Juegos prohibidos (Spain) [es]
Kielletyt leikit (Finland) [fi]
Verboden spelen (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Verbotene Spiele (West Germany) [de]

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:12

Filming Locations:

Aiguines, Var, France

Company:

Silver Films

Trivia:

Brigitte Fossey's first film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Father Dolle drinks the same glass of wine twice, or does not pour the second glass. The level of wine in the bottle does not appear to change.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Le fils de Gascogne (1995)

The best

I am incapable of writing reams about films I admire because words do no justice to the magic they conjure.

FORBIDDEN GAMES left me speechless when I first saw it two decades ago.

It is ABOUT two French children, a peasant boy, a Parisian girl, who become close friends as World War 2 ravages Europe.

The film LOOKS at the way warfare effects the innocent and transforms one's view of death.

Director Rene Clement sets the story in a rural village and peoples his story with some of the most authentic characters ever to tred the silver screen. He employs humour, horror and humanism to tell his story and solicits an incredible performance from moppet Brigitte Fossey.

It's a tearjerker, too, it's emotionally delicate, and it's perfectly manipulated drama -- all good drama is.

Its power is its apparent simplicity.

A love letter to cinema that is also one of the greatest and most haunting war movies ever made.

The imagery and the heart-rending music score will remain with you forever.