Children of Paradise (Les Enfants du Paradis) (Pathé, 1945) Part 2. French Grande (47" X 63").. ...

Description

Children of Paradise (Les Enfants du Paradis) (Pathé, 1945) Part 2. French Grande (47" X 63").
During Nazi occupation of France, it was ruled that no film would run longer than 120 minutes in length. This most famous French film has a running time of approximately 191 minutes, longer than any other French film to that date, and the director, Marcel Carné, would have it no other way! The distributors were caught between a rock and a hard place, though the Nazi rule was definitely on the decline by March of 1945, when this film was planned to release. The distributors decided they would cut the film into two parts and run it in separate cinemas across the street from each other, thus making more money and satisfying the Nazi regime. This poster was produced as part two for that split showing. The film was eventually released as a whole at the insistence of Carné and writer Jacques Prévert, who negotiated an economic plan involving higher priced ticket sales, no intermission break, and advanced seat booking, which had never been done before. The title refers to the second balcony of the French theater, which was called 'paradise,' and its 'children,' the common people who watch a play and respond to it honestly. The film takes place in the theater world of Paris during the July Monarchy (1830-1848). The work of artist George Allard, this poster features the "embracing style," showing the two main protagonists of the film, Arletty as the heroine Garance and Jean-Louis Barrault as the mime Baptiste, caught in a troubled embrace. This wonderful French Grande had wear to the folds with some separation and some slight crossfold paper loss. There was a tear in the two clasped hands and pinholes in the corners. There was a couple of small clean tears from the border into the image. Overall the poster is in very nice condition and the expert conservation has the poster displaying beautifully. Fine/Very Fine on Linen.

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