RENE CLEMENT

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBB.5. 

Original title:  Jeux Interdits

France, 1952.  Silver Films.  Screenplay by Jean Aurenche, Pierre Bost, Francois Boyer, Rene Clement, Dialogue by Jean Aurenche, Pierre Bost, Francois Boyer, based on the novel Les Jeux Inconnus by Francois Boyer.  Cinematography by Robert Juillard.  Produced by Robert Dorfmann.  Music by Narciso Yepes.  Production Design by Paul Bertrand.  Costume Design by Majo Brandley.  Film Editing by Roger Dwyre.  

A little girl loses her parents in a bombing in wartime France but finds herself, because of her young age, unable to understand the concept of death. Through the games she plays with a boy she befriends and the many riddles they invent, they slowly start to understand that the loss of parents is not child’s play but a very serious thing. Delicate direction by Rene Clement makes this unforgettable post-war drama an undeniable classic.

The Criterion Collection:  #318

Academy Award:  Honorary Foreign Language Film Award (1952)
Nomination: Best Motion Picture Story (1954)

Venice Film Festival Award: Golden Lion