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The City of Lost Children (1995) [DVD]
 
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The City of Lost Children (1995) [DVD]

DVD ~ Ron Perlman
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Ron Perlman
  • Format: PAL
  • Language French
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Universal Pictures UK
  • DVD Release Date: 3 Jul 2006
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000FTJ6RY
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 47,554 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Synopsis

In THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN, an imaginative fantasy from the creators of DELICATESSEN, a prematurely aging mad scientist named Krank (Daniel Emilfork) kidnaps children so he can steal their dreams. However, Krank runs into trouble when his henchmen grab Denrée (Joseph Lucien), a little boy whose adopted brother, One (Ron Perelman), is a circus strongman. One desperately tries to find Denrée and begs for help from Miette (Judith Vittet), a 9-year-old girl who heads up a gang of orphans. Together, One and Miette finally find Krank's castle, meeting along the way the lost identical brother--the original--of the three clones (each played by Dominique Pinon) who serve as Krank's assistants. French directors Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet once again prove their technical prowess with this dark fairy tale, which features outstanding performances from its youthful cast (most notably Vittet). As is the case with DELICATESSEN, however, their genius in constructing a highly artificial, beautiful, believable world threatens to overshadow the story. But even the fantastic sets cannot compare to the bizarre spectacles that Jeunet and Caro dream up. In one unforgettable scene, a pair of evil Siamese twin sisters prepare dinner, their four arms working perfectly in sync--one holding vegetables for another to chop while a third stirs the soup and a fourth scratches their collective itches. Frequent David Lynch collaborator Angelo Badalamenti creates the chilling, circusy musical score that adds to the film's magic.

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Bizarre gallic fairytale..., 23 Jul 2006
By R. Burgess (Liverpool, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is a film you either love or hate. If you liked "Delicatessen", "Amelie" or "A very long Engagement" then you're in for a treat. Those familiar with the Jeunet and Caro style know that they specialise in dark, humourous and mind-blowingly inventive modern fairytales. In this respect they're like the French answer to Terry Gilliam.
Set in a French Harbour town, children are abducted to an offshore oilrig to provide dreams for prematurely aged misanthropic genius Krank, who lacks the capacity to dream for himself.
It's down to orphan Miette (who could've been an unofficial member of Fagin's gang) and a simple minded circus strongman to resue Miette's little brother from Krank's evil clutches.
If this sounds a little predictable, it comes into its own with its bizarre characters and even more bizarre subplots. There's the circus ringmaster trying to shake off his shady past, reluctantly forced to bring his deadly assassin flea circus out of retirement for one last job. There's "the octopus"... siamese twin sisters who share the same boot (and, strangely, the same lungs! One drags on a cigarette, the other blows out the smoke). They run the juvenile pickpocket gang. A wise old brain suspended in an aquarium that talks through a gramophone trumpet and suffers perpetual migraines, and a group of religious zealots who have renounced sight in favour of a Terminator-like optical implant. All these disperate characters are forced to make strange allegances with each other to attain their goals, though some of these pacts turn out to be more forced than others.
It's like Oliver Twist meets Jules Verne on Terry Gilliam's French seaside break! I loved it...
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Enigmatic cinema, 21 Jan 2007
By Andreas Stokke (St Andrews, Scotland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Is it better than Delicatessen? That is the wrong question. The point is that this is just a fantastic movie - both narrative and imagery enthrall from start to finish. What is less succesful is the navigation of the DVD. For instance - at least on my hardware - there was no way to toggle between commentary audio track and original audio track without having to return to the menu. Of course, this does not affect the power of the film with the most momorable performances given by Ron Perlman (One) and Daniel Emilfork (Krank). Do not miss this one, and do not watch it in English.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Great eye-candy from the French Terry Gilliam, 27 Mar 2007
By Cartimand (Hampshire, UK.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
Clearly influenced by Gilliam's Brazil, The City of Lost Children is undeniably gorgeous to watch (especially on an upgraded HDMI DVD system). Shot entirely in studio, the attention to detail in all locations from the Dickensian style city to Krank's gothic lair is phenominal. The acting too, most notably from 9 year-old Judith Vittet as Miette - the leader of the orphans, and from everyone's favourite neanderthal Ron Perlman, is outstanding.

Why then only three stars? Because, in my humble opinion, almost two hours was far too long to drag out this basically simple fable about good and bad, exploitation of the innocent and the quest for lost youth (a la recherche...?). I'm sure I will not be the only one to feel that the stunning sets sometimes take precedence over the plot.

I enjoyed it the first time through. Will probably skim through it again to wallow in the sumptuous detail and skillfully choreographed scenes with the "octopus", but doubt if I could sit through the entire movie again without a yawn or two.

A few extras add value to the DVD, most notably a "making of" and "behind the scenes" which give away some of the clever special effects. I wonder why co-director Marc Caro refused to participate in the documentaries though - was he on the verge of doing an Alan Smithee?

Finally a note about the dubbing. I started with the English version, but found the dubbed voices to be very poorly lip-synched and with irritatingly inappropriate accents - most notably Pinon's that sounded impossibly aristocratic! I therefore switched to the original French with English subtitles and would certainly recommend that as the preferred audio option.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Odd but good
Bought this as read some good reviews...Is a very odd film but once you start to watch, its impossible to stop viewing.
Published 1 month ago by Nibz

5.0 out of 5 stars Good off-beat French film

I enjoyed this wacky film with its oddball characters and its 'weird'/sci-fi theme. Although the script is perhaps too complex at times, the film looks well considering it... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Rob B.

1.0 out of 5 stars Absolute Rubbish
Sorry to say this film was rubbish, I really cannot see why people rate it so highly, I really must be missing something, or maybe I have lost the plot. Read more
Published 13 months ago by septimus-blake

5.0 out of 5 stars At last, a sub-titled version of this great film
Finally, they have released City of Lost Children with subtitles. For years i have had to make do with the dubbed version, and whilst it has to be said that the dubbing was done... Read more
Published 14 months ago by popemagnet

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't watch the dubbed version
Just like to reiterate a previous reviewers point, do not watch the dubbed version, much better to view the film with English subtitles. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Z. Wahid

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly wierd
The City Of Lost Children is definitely one of the best films I have ever seen, regardless of the fact that it is in French. Read more
Published on 22 Jun 2007 by J. Hasell

4.0 out of 5 stars Strange but good to watch
I watched this recently and enjoyed it.I found it a bit strange but it has a good story to it and great filming with the backdrops and scenery. Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2007 by Blue hunter

5.0 out of 5 stars Inventive fun
The previous review is very thorough. I can only endorse the fact that this film is a very imaginative, acceptably dark, fantastic yarn.
Published on 25 Nov 2006 by Mrs. S. K. Goffin

3.0 out of 5 stars An original and intriguing film weighed down by a too often illogical plot
I had been dancing around this French film (with subtitles) for several months, unsure how I would react to it, but I finally took the plunge and booked my passage to The City of... Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2006 by Daniel Jolley

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