Carné. All three of Carné’s archiveable films land in the top 100 of their respective decade. There isn’t much beyond that as far as resume. I’ll get to it below but the disconnect I have with the critical consensus on Children of Paradise is reason why Carné has fallen to the #132 slot here.
Best film: Children of Paradise. Immaculately curated production design—Carné successfully builds the world of 19th century Paris.
total archiveable films: 3
top 100 films: 0
top 500 films: 1 (Children of Paradise)
top 100 films of the decade: 3 (Children of Paradise, Port of Shadows, Le Jour Se Leve)
most overrated: Children of Paradise. It is Carné’s strongest film but the TSPDT consensus has it at #62 and I’ve got it at #484. That is quite a gulf.
most underrated: All three of the Carné films in the archives are also in the TSPDT top 1000 but Le Jour Se Leve is underrated by the consensus- they have it at #860 and I’d have it 100 slots higher or more.
gem I want to spotlight: Port of Shadows. Poetic realism at its finest. Fatalism, Michel Simon, Jean Gabin—a perfect film to start your Carne study.
stylistic innovations/traits: There’s an absolute art in Carne’s weathered urban universe of doomed protagonists. He was THE poetic realist that would bridge the gap between the burgeoning post WW2 neo-realism and film noir (both would explode around 1944-1945).
top 10
- Children of Paradise
- Le Jour Se Leve
- Port of Shadows
By year and grades
| 1938- Port of Shadows | HR |
| 1939- Le Jour Se Leve | MS |
| 1945- Children of Paradise | MS |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
I do hope that you will give Children of Paradise another chance. I think that it’s one of the top 25 films of all time.
@Leighton
Top 25?
@Leighton — thank you for visiting the site and for the comments. I definitely will be giving Children of Paradise another chance. Thanks for the recommendation. What makes it a top 25 film of all-time in your estimation?
It is just the best French film of al time.
All time*
I think that position belongs to The Rules of the Game, the 400 blows, breathless, jules and jim, in theory also the Passion of Joan of Arc
I thought similar way back. I think Passion of Joan of Arc is the real contender. I don’t see the others close to Children of Paradise. For me those two are the only worth of being the french masterpiece.
Do you not consider the other films a masterpiece?
I will have to see it again, I am not too impressed.
What do you think of the movies i mentioned to you?
Yes I do I can say they could easily be seen as a MP (unless Breathless being honest I’m struggling a bit with Goddard) well I actually like to think there are three contenders at the top of the greatest french cinema ever. There is Joan of Arc, Les Enfants Du Paradis, and The Rules of the Game. But I can’t see anything why Renoir’s wonder is above Carne’s. If i have to kept one to preserve trough the times, that would be Les Enfants Du Paradis or Joan of Arc no question asked. You should really give it a second chance, maybe I’m emotionally attached to the film or maybe something about the performances but for me those three are in pair.
And btw Aldo, I really need some help to get trough Goddard. I’ve tried seen a lot of his work but Im beginning to lose faith Im finding his vision massively superficial, Im not really appreciating the style at all.
@Alejandro.
I’ll take a look at it again.
It happens with Godard haha, I’ve only seen 4 of his movies.
You should see them in the order that Drake has, rather than superficial I would say that it is similar to Buñuel difficult to explain, he has a very defined ideology.
@Alejandro.
Why do you find him superficial? I would recommend starting with Band of outsiders. It’s a really fun gangster movie with a unique style. Then move onto My life to live which is a very sad drama about a woman. It even has a tribute to cinema and a tribute to the Passion of Joan of Arc.
Arletty’s presence is remarkable. Few performances are as captivating. The dynamic between Garance and Baptiste is poignant and filmed so beautifully. I love the recreation of early 19th century Paris. It’s like seeing and experiencing another world with so much detail and nuance, and of course the fact that much of the film revolves around the theatre only heightens and highlights the drama. It leaves me with a very strong impression. Children of Paradise is a film that I immersed myself in and felt changed by the experience. For me, it’s just the perfect cinematic experience, one in which I resonate so deeply with the characters and their tragic and melancholy lives. It’s so timelessly true but rarely depicted with such care and accuracy. Sorry for responding so late!
My ranking of Carne`s films that I`ve seen:
1. Children of Paradise MP
2. Le Jour Se Leve MS
3. Port of Shadows MS (maybe on another watch this could jump over Le Jour Se Leve)
4. Hotel Du Nord HR