Les Enfants du Paradis
"AT LAST! The Celebrated French Film."
Children of Paradise - Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
Paris est tout petit pour ceux qui s'aiment comme nous, d'un aussi grand amour.
— Garance
Context:
Garance says this to Frédérick Lemaître as they begin their affair. Frédérick worries that in a city as large as Paris, they might lose each other, but Garance reassures him with this poetic and confident declaration of their connection.
Meaning:
"Paris is small for those who share so great a passion as ours." This quote encapsulates the romantic idealism at the heart of the film, suggesting that a powerful love can make the vast, impersonal world feel intimate. It's a hopeful statement that is ultimately tested by the film's tragic events.
Les rêves, la vie, c'est la même chose. Sinon, à quoi bon vivre?
— Baptiste
Context:
Baptiste says this to Garance in her room when he confesses his love for her. She tells him that people only love in his idealistic way in dreams and books, not in real life, prompting his heartfelt response.
Meaning:
"Dreams, life; they're the same. Else life's not worth living." This is Baptiste's core philosophy. It reveals his inability to separate his idealized, artistic vision of love from the complexities of reality, which is both the source of his genius and the cause of his downfall.
Vous voulez être aimé comme un pauvre, et vous êtes riche.
— Garance
Context:
Garance delivers this line to the Count Édouard de Montray after he has become her protector. He is frustrated by her emotional distance, and she calmly explains the fundamental contradiction in his expectations of her.
Meaning:
"Not only are you rich, but you want to be loved as if you are poor." This incisive remark to the Count de Montray highlights the impossibility of his desire. Garance points out that he cannot use his wealth and power to secure her and then expect to receive a love that is pure and freely given, untainted by his status.
La jalousie appartient à tout le monde si une femme n'appartient à personne.
— Frédérick Lemaître
Context:
Frédérick makes this philosophical remark, reflecting on the complicated romantic entanglements surrounding Garance. It speaks to the central theme of freedom versus possession in the film.
Meaning:
"Jealousy belongs to all if a woman belongs to no one." This quote reflects the male characters' collective possessiveness towards Garance. Because she refuses to be owned by any single man, all of them feel a sense of jealous entitlement to her affections.