Jeux Interdits (Forbidden Games) poster & wallpaper
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Brigitte Fossey, Georges Poujouly, Amédée, Lucien Hubert, Suzanne Courtal ... see more see more... , Jacques Marin , Laurence Badie , Madeleine Barbulée , Pierre Merovee , Louis Sainteve , André Wasley , Louis Herbert , Denise Peronne , Fernande Roy , Violette Monnier

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 ... read more read more...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

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9 critics

PG, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: René Clément

Release Date: January 1, 1952

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DVD Release Date: December 6, 2005

Stats: 242 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (242)

  • fb1216165431
    September 9, 2011
    fb1216165431
    Forbidden Games tells of a girl orphaned by war who met a boy from a peasant family. He loves her. She loves him. Theirs is not just a story of young star-crossed lovers, but more significantly, how war robs childhood of its innocence. It is a love story, with compelling selfless... read more details and unfathomable depth. Unforgettable.
  • RCCLBC
    March 4, 2011
    RCCLBC
    As I've said before stories with children in major roles are always a gamble for me. Rare is the child who comes across as believable, especially in dramatic situations.

    What a wonderful surprise this was as both Brigitte Fossey and Georges Poujouly do a remarkable job as Pau... read morelette and Michel. And not only are they the two youngest actors, they may well be the best two actors in the film (in my opinion).

    The first fifteen minutes of this film are (aside from some chessy stock war footage) truly gut wrenching. Which was completely unexpected coming from a film of this era and really set a tone for the trials and tribulations of poor little Paulette. Paulettes puppy Jocko was a real source of distress for me as well, although he is sort of the foundation (along with her parents) for what transpires later in the film. It was hard to get past some of his "scenes" without feeling uncomfortable. (Don't want to give too much away)

    While it does suffer from some predictable sub-plots and unintentional (era specific) cheesiness...the bulk of the film focuses on the innocence of children and speaks to their resilience. Though our two little scamps do go down a (slightly) dark trail, it is their love for each other that is the heart of the film.

    While this is no "Ponette" in terms of heartbreaking emotion...if the last ten minutes of this film dosen't tug on your heart strings...you may want to call a cardiologist and have your heart checked.
  • rubystevens
    January 18, 2011
    rubystevens
    the description didn't prepare me for the amount of humor in the film. after a harrowing opening sequence, it follows a somewhat comical farm family in the french countryside, whose life goes blithely on while the younger children grow deeper into their obsession with death. en... read moreds rather abruptly. outstanding performance by the little girl who wasn't more than 5 at the time
  • flixsterman
    June 27, 2009
    flixsterman
    Director Rene Clement wanted to cast an eight or nine year old girl for the part of Paulette because he thought that anyone younger wouldn't be able to remember the lines or follow his direction. Thank God for Clement's insistent wife who recognized the talents of five year old ... read moreBrigitte Fossey and ultimately managed to convince her husband to give the girl a second look. Let's face facts here, no matter how great the script or the director or the cinematography, if the kid isn't believable the film just doesn't work. Bravo Mrs. Clement and Bravo Brigitte!
  • tsigur
    February 1, 2008
    tsigur
    Very sweet but at the same time very depressing.
  • fb1144932598
    September 27, 2011
    fb1144932598
    A quiet little film that explores how children respond when in a terrifying situation outside of their control. Brigitte Fossey is simply marvelous as the little girl dealing with the early days of WWII, and the loss of her family and her dog. She is taken in by a French farm fam... read moreily and forms an instant bond with the youngest son, who is a few years older than her. Their friendship and the innocence with which they channel their grief into a mutual project are the focus of the film. This reviewer is grateful for the editing choices, and the way the director was able to elicit such a range of emotions from this young actress. In the extras on this disc, we learn that he originally had sought an older child to play the girl, but recognized Ms Fossey's ability to channel her emotions in a way that made the character light up the screen. We also get to see the alternate beginning and ending that thankfully did not make the final cut. One is of the opinion that they were prepared in order to sell the film if it was deemed too dark. But the scenes would have lessened the impact of the film greatly and might have made it less enduring. Some scenes were difficult to watch, but must be understood in the context of the times. Children were certainly not coddled.
  • hypathio7
    January 29, 2009
    hypathio7
    The opening sequence is very good. A little girl from the city is thrown into tragic circumstances. She befriends a boy a few years older than she is and is temporarily adopted by his farming family. There are funny moments dealing with the family's rivalry with the neighborin... read moreg family, and with relationships within the Dolle family household. It is interesting how the children try to cope with the tragedy of war, but I was not overly impressed by the five year old actress. Her acting method did not seem particularly natural. What I mean is, you can tell the director was coaching her to bring the tears on at certain moments, instead of her being able to react naturally to the situations.
  • crazydannielle16
    December 3, 2009
    crazydannielle16
    Very impressive movie. I enjoyed it very much. It was true art. GREAT acting, engaging story, great lighting, good shots, good editing, and very meaningful. The acting by young Brigitte Fossey is almost unbelievable because it's almost perfect. Director Rene Clement first desired... read more to cast a a nine to eleven year old girl for the part of Paulette due to the fact that he believed a younger girl wouldn't take direction well or remember her lines. But thanks to Clement's wife, Fossey was chosen and she made the movie what it is. She is absolutely adorable.

    The movie is about a little five year old girl who is escaping Paris with her parents when the Nazis are bombing the city. Her parents and little dog are killed instantly while she is left behind as an orphan. She wanders around aimlessly, trying to understand what has happened. She befriends an older boy and his family adopts her temporarily.

    It is the macabre story of childhood innocence and the evils of the world being viewed with the eyes of a child. Children are quite strong and resilient, but they are also vulnerable and easily impressionable. Some are more malleable than others but they are not incorruptible.

    You see Paulette being very brave the whole movie and at the end, she becomes very fragile and delicate and you feel your heart being wripped out as the word FIN comes on to the screen and you think, "How is that the end??!! How sad!!!!" But very moving and a great masterpiece.

    There are some cute and precious moments. My favorites are the kiss on the cheek that Paulette gives Michel and also when they are trying to find crosses for different animals. Paulette points to the tallest cross in the cemetery and delcares, "And that one would be good for a giraffe!" So cute!
  • smootysveen
    February 7, 2009
    smootysveen
    Tenderly presents a very disturbing, but important story about children and how they are influenced.
  • spartacus007
    May 22, 2012
    spartacus007
    A story about children coping with war that doesn't pretend children are naturally good. The starkness reminds me of The White Ribbon, but without quite so bleak of a picture. War is understandable here, while for Haneke it is inexplicable.

View All Jeux Interdits (Forbidden Games) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Cole Smithey
April 19, 2009
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

Rene Clement's 1944 adaptation of Francois Boyer's novel is an exquisitely unsentimental movie about the corruptive effect of war on children. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
September 4, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The film has lost its initial power over time and now looks too contrived to be a masterpiece. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
December 12, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

This touching film, winner of the Venice Festival award, draws us deeply into the secret world of haunted by death children, in post- WWII Europe where, among other "games," they build a cemetry for d... Full Review

Matt Brunson
December 7, 2005
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing

Perhaps not until Ponette in 1996 had another movie looked so closely at how death might be absorbed through the eyes of a small child. Full Review

Ed Gonzalez
December 4, 2005
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine

It's difficult to fault a film that scrutinizes the veracity of childhood with such clarity. Full Review

Christopher Null
November 23, 2005
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

powerful filmmaking in more ways than one, a story of innocence lost that you won't soon forget Full Review

Ken Hanke
November 20, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Strange, compelling offbeat drama about a war orphan with a morbid fixation.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 20, 2006
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

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