Review for Forbidden Games

What a movie. Despite the subtitles it’s one of the most moving films I have ever seen and by far one of the the finest performances by children ever committed to celluloid. On reflection there is much of the atmosphere of ‘Forbidden Games’ in the 1961 British movie ‘Whistle Down the Wind’. Watching this it’s difficult to believe that Director Bryan Forbes hadn’t seen and noted René Clément’s utterly brilliant directorial debut.


If you already know the movie and have been waiting for a decent R2 release (to rival Criterion’s US release) then the wait is over. Studio Canal’s version is superb. An almost flawless print, rich in detail and contrast. And yes, I am referring to the DVD. Blu-ray is also available and I can only speculate that it is likely to be superb. Curiously, this version has been released at 1.33:1, a very slight departure from the original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 which is apparently what you get on the BD release. How curious!



For those who haven’t seen the movie, despite its difficult and often painful subject matter, you really should. As a slice of life it’s quite superb and, despite the French authorities criticising its portrayal of French peasants, it remains an incredibly powerful reflection of the impact of war on the very young.



The film starts with the mass exodus to the French countryside surrounding Paris during the Nazi occupation of 1940. During the exodus a young girl, Paulette (Brigitte Fossey) witnesses the shooting of her parents as they try to get across a bridge. Her dog is also shot and dies in her arms. As she wanders aimlessly into the countryside she meets and befriends a young farmer’s boy, Michel (George Poujouly). 


Life is tough at Michel’s home – a vast single roomed barn housing all the family, including Michel’ s brother who has been kicked by a terrified horse who has fleed from the Nazi bombing.


Pretty much ignored, Paulette and Michel set about making some kind of sense of the death surrounding them by making their own cemetery for dead animals. They soon become obsessed by collecting suitable crosses for this, eventually even taking those from a local chapel. In their own way the children are coping by creating an alternative world of their own making. It’s a world shared only by them and not intended for adults. 


The performances of the two leads are incredible, particularly from the then five year old Brigitte Fossey who recounts her experiences making the film in a contemporary interview housed in the extras. It is some testament to René Clément that he was able to draw such remarkable and naturalistic performances from children of such a young age. 



There are sub-plots to keep the narrative aflame and which reveal the daily concerns of the adults in the film. Michel’s family are constantly battling with their nearest neighbours, the Gouards. This is a device that escalates to dark comedy when the two families accuse each other of stealing the very crosses off the graves of their loved ones and the two Fathers end up wrestling in the open grave intended for Michel’s brother’s funeral after he dies from the injuries inflicted from the wild horse. There is also the question of a romance brewing between the neighbour's son and Michel's sister. 


As viewers we are kept aware of the presence of war through the sounds of distant gunfire and bombing though the only military presence in the film is that of the Gourard’s son who returns from battle having deserted his position which he claims is hopeless given the military might of the Germans.



The extras include a featurette based around an interview with Brigitte Fossey where she recounts with great recall the experience of making the film as a five year old. It’s a fascinating insight and, embellished with interviews with film historians, paints a detailed background to the making of the film.


Also included on the set are the alternate opening and closing segments in full. I won’t spoil these but they do offer a more uplifting alternative to the one that was eventually chosen for the movie, probably due to its likely realism.

All in all an absolutely superb way to start the new year and a release that any serious film fan will want in their collection.