Forbidden Games (1952)

Synopsis of Forbidden Games

One of the first films to see the horrors of war through the eyes of children, Forbidden Games was a critical smash, winning prizes from the New York Film Critics, the British Academy, and the Venice Film Festival. Adapted by Francois Boyer, director Rene Clement, and two others from Boyer's novel, the story focuses on Paulette (Brigitte Fossey), a five-year-old refugee from Paris taken in by a peasant family after her parents are killed during a bombardment of a civilian convoy. Michel Dolle (Georges Pujouly), the family's 11-year-old son, becomes her best friend, and they create a cemetery in which Paulette's dog is interred, along with other animals and insects, some of whom the children kill themselves. The Dolle family is too busy feuding with the Gouards, their neighbors, to notice the absence of the children. Eventually, authorities locate Paulette and insist that she be placed in an orphanage for legal adoption. Unsentimental and yet heartbreaking, Forbidden Games demonstrates the strategies of children who witness war to deal with the constant presence of death. It's also a bitter condemnation of the selfishness of adults who could offer their charges more love and protection. ~ Tom Wiener, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:

85 mins

Director(s):

René Clément

Writer(s):

Pierre Bost, Jean Aurenche, René Clément

Producer(s):

Robert Dorfmann

Theatrical MPAA Rating:

PG(Mild Violence)

• 1953 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Film - Any Source
• 1952 - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Foreign Film
• 1952 - Venice International Film Festival - Lion of San Marco for Best Film

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