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Realism In Marcel Carne's Les Enfants Du Paradis

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Carolina Alvarez Les Enfants du Paradis
The disillusionment of the Germans after World War 1 led to the rise of the racist Nazi Party. They put the blame on innocent Jewish people as the cause of all their problems. The Nuremburg laws were the beginning of the harsh treatment of the scapegoats. Hitler planned to invade Europe to create his perfect society of blonde haired, blue eyed Aryans. As Germany was invading France in 1940, the lives of the French would change in every aspect of their lives. In Marcel Carne's Les Enfants du Paradis, one can see that it fits into other movies that were made during the German invasion of France. It follows the restrictions that were put on by Nazi Party but also broke some rules to keep their artistic integrity and used it as a means of escapism for the people of France. Les Enfants du Paradis tells the story in a poetic realist way that was a very popular movie in 1945. Poetic realism centers around “working class characters and the theme of doomed love, the blending of comedy and tragedy, the use of long shots and long takes, and narratives that function as critiques of society” (Glover). The movie revolves around 4 male characters and their doomed love for a woman who choices affect everyone. Rotten Tomatoes describes it as:
Even in 1945, Marcel Carne's Children of Paradise was regarded as an old-fashioned film. Set in the Parisian theatrical world of the 1840s, Jacques Prevert's screenplay concerns four men in love with the

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