Weldon50 Maybe a little bit of a spoiler topic, I'm not sure. Some critics propose the idea that the sweet girl is not merely a victim of loss, but a victim traumatized to the point of sadism. My understanding of the motivation for the burial rituals was a line spoken by the little girl suggesting that dead things needed to be buried, that they should not be left exposed to the elements. This barely articulated idea, obviously, is the result of seeing her parents killed and her carrying her dead dog. I saw no more to their "games" than burials. I did not see killings as a part of it. Is it an absolute certainty that the children kill anything more than a cockroach? I thought the owl killed the mice. Some critics don't mention any killings by the children. Others build arguments about sadism based on their observation that the kids not only buried the animals in more and more elaborate ritual, but killed some of them. I just don't recall seeing a killing.

Armand War. A peasant family. A girl. An animals cemetery. And mixture between innocence and bereavement. A movie as a white paper. Every word is a seed- sign. German plains and secret games. Michel and Paulette. Love as indistinct smoke of autumn and looks of children like huge mirrors. Film about forms of cruelty , it is not pledge against war but sketch for small hours of fundamental peace. Picture of a world , secret, fragile, strong and its borders. Ladder between ages, Jeux interdits is invitation to large view . Crashes, meetings, end of graves and courage to build an unbearable circle. Memories and steps. In the front of dusty words. In the skin of impressive music.

danjakubik Forbidden Games / Directed by: Rene Clement / France/ 1952 / BW* * * * Wow. That's a word I rarely use in reaction to a film. I'm a highly selective film enthusiast and not easy to impress. This is a truly unique, profound, powerful and impressive film, which exceeded my expectations. "Forbidden Games" is a masterpiece. Definitely a rare and special film, one that literally blew me away. I've never seen anything quite like it before. I'm referring to it's remarkable combination of inspired direction, unusual story, universal themes, story telling style and technique.A young girl in 1940 France becomes orphaned, when both her parents are shot and killed in a countryside, during a Nazi air raid. As vividly depicted in the film, the girl's sudden loss of her parents is shocking. She then suffers the loss of her beloved pet dog. The girl is rescued and adopted by a rural family passing by and taken into their home for care and protection. The young girl befriends an older boy of the family. They begin collecting crosses and create a secret animal cemetery, following the adult lead of using the healing power of religion and ritual to help cope with death. A tender and respectful friendship and bond of love eventually develops between them.An unusual, intense, realistic, heart wrenching opening sequence and a near perfect ending are the bookends of this great film. The opening sequence of the film qualifies as one of the greats in the history of cinema. Of special note, the film features very natural and believable acting performances from the two children in lead roles. This is a big credit to the talent of director Clement. At the time, both children were completely non-professional first time actors. This film won me over emotionally, by the end of it's first third. The second third of the film, earned my complete admiration and respect in a big way. It's unusual for a film to achieve so much, one third of the way in and not depend on the usual traditional storytelling climax, resolution and closed ending.This is definitely not a film for young children, due to mature, adult themes about dying, death, loss, anguish and grief. 18+ recommended. The opening sequence is graphic, violent and most of all, intensely emotional, way too much information for any child to process, without being traumatized. After this powerful story and character setup, the remainder of the film is more acceptable for a combined child and parent viewing experience. Adolescents might be able to handle/process some of the mature themes of the film. It's really a film best appreciated by mature adults, hence my 18+ recommendation.The photographic style and director's technique are convincingly realistic. The black and white photography is quite beautiful, rich in shades of gray, contrast and creative lighting, to convincingly evoke mood. Of special note is the careful, economical use of classical music throughout the film, especially during emotional scenes. Very much a director's film and done with great style and technique. The opening sequence is especially brave and confident. Basically, an intelligent, perceptive screenplay combines with expert inspired direction to create a film masterpiece.This powerful and memorable film shows how these two children, especially the girl, react to war, process loss, grief and attempt to cope with all the death and destruction going on around them, in a manner fitting to their age. There's scenes of great sorrow, beauty, honesty and tenderness all throughout the film.Director Clement shows remarkable sensitivity and awareness, a father like dedication, sincerity of purpose, emotional motivation and support to his two child lead actors. The acting performances of the children Georges Poujouly and Brigitte Fossey are truly remarkable and impressive. Considering Fossey was only five years old at the time, her performance in particular, is amazing. Clement established a rare and great connection of mutual artistic benefit with both children.This film quickly entered my short list of personal favorite/best ever films. That's the thing about a masterpiece: it strikes a universal nerve immediately, by the sheer power of it's artistry and technique. Winner of the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion Award and Best Foreign Language film Oscar. Very highly recommended.

dougdoepke A small French girl orphaned by attacking Nazi planes is taken in by a farm family where she and the boy she bonds with establish a hidden animal cemetery. No need to detail the plot since others have already done so. Just a few comments on points generally uncommented on by others. Yes, the movie's main point concerns the invisible scars war leaves on the young. Little Paulette and youthful Michel will likely never recover from their psychic wounds, while the shot of little Paulette wandering helplessly among the chaotic tide of refugees is one of the most quietly searing in film annals. The harm already done her by the Nazis is in fact compounded by the unfeeling way she is disposed of by both the farm family and the orphanage. The film's brilliance lies in making us feel what she feels in a wholly unsentimental way. That, I think, is the basis of the film's near universal appeal. However, there is a second less universal theme overlooked by most. In fact, as many French critics complained at the time, the two farm families really are depicted in unflattering fashion. Some called the portrayal of the Dolle's and Brouard's an unfair and vicious slur on French peasantry. Unfair or not, daddy Dolle comes across as a small-minded tyrant whose chief means of communication with son Michel amounts to a blow to the head, while the final beating in the barn is truly brutal. Then too, he flat out lies to Michel by sending Paulette away, seemingly indifferent to the boy's emotional trauma. And when the easily overlooked younger daughter tries to bring something "beautiful" into her life by reading in a dim light, he sends her to bed with the admonition that "light is not for reading". Also, the older surviving brother has dodged military service by faking an illness, while the Brouard son has deserted the army claiming a lack of leadership. As someone in the film wryly observes: with material like this, no wonder we lost the war. And no wonder some Francophiles complained loudly. There are many other unflattering instances as well, and somehow I get the feeling that this aspect of the script results from an entrenched hostility between city sophisticates and countryside traditionalists. Anyway, it's a testament to the mysteries of human personality that such a profoundly intuitive boy as Michel could emerge from such unpromising family fodder. The other neglected point surrounds the film's often understated humor. Much of it passes quickly and so is easily overlooked. But it's there, particularly with the Brouard boy, and his lusty relationship with the older Dolle girl. He's a faintly comical character to begin with. Our first view of him is of a deserter returning home in baggy uniform, announcing his arrival by standing outside the Brouard hovel and blowing sour notes on a stolen trumpet-- a parody, I guess, of 'The Hero's Return'. The graveyard scene between the feuding families also has a faintly comical undertone. It's not the kind of brawl to take seriously, and when daddy Dolle refuses to reciprocate by helping daddy Brouard out of the coffin hole, a rather humorous point is made about Dolle's selfish character. Anyway, look fast, because there are unexpected deposits of humor in an otherwise very somber story. By and large, anti-war films are not known for their understatement, often relying on one form or another of visual or verbal shouting. 'Games', however remains a masterpiece of unadorned understatement. Except for the rather stagey graveyard scene, it's told in simple and straightforward fashion, allowing audience emotions to build quietly until the final shattering scene. All in all, it's very effective. Of course, everyone wonders what is to become of little Paulette. But the same question could be asked of the disillusioned Michel. For it's clear in his final scene that while throwing away the graveyard crosses, he's casting aside more than mere pieces of wood.