The City of Lost Children
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| The City of Lost Children | |
 The City of Lost Children Promotional Movie Poster (France) |
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| Directed by | Jean-Pierre Jeunet Marc Caro |
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| Produced by | Félicie Dutertre |
| Written by | Gilles Adrien Jean-Pierre Jeunet |
| Starring | Ron Perlman Daniel Emilfork Judith Vittet Dominique Pinon |
| Music by | Angelo Badalamenti |
| Cinematography | Eric Caro Philippe LeSourd Darius Khondji |
| Editing by | Ailo August Herve Shneid |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics |
| Release date(s) | May 17, 1995 |
| Running time | 112 min. |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $18,000,000 |
The City of Lost Children (French: La Cité des enfants perdus) is a dystopian French fantasy/drama film by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet released in 1994. The film is stylistically related to the previous and subsequent Jeunet films, Delicatessen and Amélie.
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[edit] Plot
The movie revolves around a plot by the mad scientist Krank (Daniel Emilfork), who kidnaps children to steal their dreams. Among them is the little brother of carnival strongman One (Ron Perlman), who sets out to rescue him and stop Krank. Aided by an orphan girl named Miette (Judith Vittet), he eventually manages to overcome many obstacles and stops Krank.
[edit] Detailed synopsis
The movie opens with a scene in which a small boy in his bedroom is surprised by Santa Claus emerging from the fireplace and giving him a toy. The pleasant scene soon turns grim, however, as many more Santa Clauses enter the room, scaring the child. The scene is abruptly ended with a close-up of Krank, screaming, and being released from a strange, elaborate machine. The little boy from the dream sequence is also revealed to be attached to the machine, and Krank moves up to him, glaring menacingly. A brain in robotic machine, known as Irvin, proceeds to explain that Krank stole the boys dream, and questions whether Krank's plot will end well. Also in the room are several clones of the exact same man, and a midget woman, who is shown to be a motherly figure. An enraged Krank takes the boy's teddy bear and angrilly tosses it out a window, where it is seen falling off the oil platform into the sea.
The image of the sea fades to a small port town, where a carnival is being held. A shot reveals several posters declaring children to be missing. At the carnival, we see a small child picking pockets, a group of missionaries for a strange religious cult of blind men (known as Cyclops), and a show with a strongman, known as One. Just as One is about to break his chains, there is a scream from the public, as a little boy, who was collecting money for the show, is seen biting the arm of the pickpocket. The ringmaster drags him upstage, but another man also jumps upstage, covertly stabbing the man and escaping the scene. One is seen breaking his chains, and proceeds to take the ringmaster home.
Later that evening, we see One in his home, taking care of the injured ringmaster and his little brother, Denrée. Suddenly, several members of the Cyclops cult arrive, equipped with some kind of mechanical eye that allows them to see (labeled Optacon), as well as a device that makes their hearing supersensitive. As they dangle a candy apple in front of the window to lure Denrée outside, they later go inside, finding Denrée and One hiding in a cupboard. One attempts to kick the Cyclops out, but they manage to take Denrée and escape in their truck. One pursues the truck, but is followed by two of the Cyclops that had stayed behind. Deciding to hide inside the harbormaster's office, One is surprised to find several small children inside, robbing a safe. They see the Cyclops coming, and dress up One as the harbormaster, tying him to a chair. The Cylops enter, and take what remains of the money from the safe, then leaving. The children leave as well, but One follows them, believing they know where to find the Cyclops. They tell him to get lost.
Back on the oil platform, the clones and the woman are seen celebrating Irvin's birthday. Krank enters, and asks what all the fuss is about, and leaves again, to be called back by Irvin. Irvin says Krank might be able to solve his problems by studying his own tears. Asking who could make him cry, Irvin proceeds to detail the oil platform's history: Once, there was a highly gifted scientist. Lacking a wife or children, he proceeded to make his own. He started with the wife, making her very beautiful, but due to a defect, she turned out a midget. For his children, he made six clones of himself, but they too had a defect, all being narcoleptic. Wanting someone to talk to, he created a migraine-ridden brain in a jar. And then, his masterpiece, a man more intelligent than anyone on earth. Sadly, he forgot to give the man the ability to dream. As a result, he grew old extremely quickly, and was terribly unhappy. Moved, Krank sheds a tear, which is hurriedly collected with an eye-dropper. Irvin finishes his story, stating that the man became so crazed, he believed only a single tear could save him. An enraged Krank kicks everyone out of the room and shuts down Irvin's body.
Back in town, we see a pair of conjoined twins, known as the Octopus, collect the loot that was stolen by the children seen before. The Octopus is revealed to be organizing a kind of thieves' guild, using the orphans as thieves. She is cruel towards the children, threatening to put one of them in 'the hole'. Later, she also plans a heist, instructing the children to break into an upper-class house and empty out a safe. During the meeting, One, who followed the orphans, breaks in, and is quickly recruited by the Octopus, because he is the only one strong enough to carry the safe which would take too long to open inside the apartment.
The heist takes place, and One carries the safe out of the apartment. Opening and emptying it in the harbor, One runs off when he hears the Cyclops truck passing by, causing the safe to fall into the water with half the contents still inside. Feared that the Octopus will not respond kindly to this failure, one of the orphans, a girl named Miette, follows One, and proceeds to take him to the Cyclops headquarters. We see the Octopus threatening one of the orphans to reveal where they went.
On the oil platform, the clones take turns telling their dreams to Krank in his room. While busy there, one of the clones is instructed by Irvin to hook himself and a child to the dream machine. The clone, hesitant, decides to break Krank's rules because Irvin claims that he is the original of the six clones, the only one to be directly cloned from the scientist. As he takes place in the dream machine, the process is abruptly ended as a fuse in the machine blows. The clone proceeds to toss the 'fuse' (which is actually a canister containing the boy's nightmare of the events on the oil platform) into the ocean, and Irvin is heard hoping that someone will find it.
Miette and One infiltrate the Cyclops base, located in an abandoned ship. One disguises himself as a Cyclops by wearing an Optacon that was stolen by Miette. They eavesdrop on a ceremony where a Cyclops is presented with a new Optacon. It is revealed that the Optacons are provided by Krank, in return for children for him to experiment on. One spots Denrée in the line of children turned over to Krank's henchmen (one of the clones and their mother), and rushes in, trying to rescue him. He is, however, quickly overpowered by the Cyclops, and taken captive. Later, a Cyclops is seen selling information to the Octopus, revealing that Miette was taken captive and is to be killed that night.
On the oil platform, Krank asks Irvin to help him solve his problems. The children he tries to steal dreams from only have nightmares. He does not understand why. Irvin explains that Krank himself is their nightmare, because he does not have a soul. Krank declares himself innocent of his cruelty, instead blaming his creator for not giving him one. The scene changes to the clones being instructed by their mother to put up Christmas decorations. She is also making a Santa suit for Krank. Krank questions whether their plan will work. Irvin tells him not to worry, as long as he's sincere.
The Octopus visits a man named Marcello. They need his help. Marcello is hesitant, claiming he's already paid enough. The Octopus reveals an old poster, for a circus that was ran by Marcello and included the Octopus herself as one of the main attractions. Marcello agrees, and is seen preparing a flea to inject a green liquid.
Later, the clones and Krank enter the children's dormitory, Krank dressed as Santa, in a plot to make the children happy. The plan fails, however, as the children recognize Krank and all begin crying. Angry at this failure, Krank blames it on the Clones.
In the port, we see One and Miette tied up and placed on a series of planks by the Cyclops. The planks are balanced over the edge of the pier, counterweighted by baskets of fish. As seagulls arrive and start eating the fish, the Cyclops take bets on who of the two will drop in the water first. Marcello arrives, and we see his flea jumping onto one of the Cyclops, preparing to inject the green liquid. Marcello plays a macabre tune on his barrel organ, and the flea releases the liquid into the Cyclops' skin. The Cyclops drools out a similar green liquid, and suddenly turns on his companions, stabbing one of them in the eye, and strangling the other after linking his own Optacon to his brain, causing the man to see himself die. Marcello goes up to the pier in a rowing boat, and manages to save One. Miette, however, falls into the water, but is seen being rescued by a man in a diving suit.
The diver takes Miette into his hideout. As he removes his helmet, it is revealed he looks exactly like the clones, only with a beard. As Miette suddenly comes to, he explains to her that he stays underwater because the world above is dangerous, and he collects whatever he finds on the bottom of the sea. When Miette asks him why he doesn't go up, the man claims someone wants to kill him. He doesn't remember who, however, because he's lost his memory. Miette also spots the safe that One dropped into the water before. Taking its contents, she leaves, but by the wrong door. Behind the door are children's toys. The diver collapses in fear, vaguely referring to Krank kidnapping the children. He does not know where, but states that there is a man who has a map that navigates through the minefield around the oil platform tattooed on his body.
Miette goes back up, and is taken to a bar by the other thieves, where One is drinking, and Marcello has arranged for him to be picked up. As the truck arrives, One is put on top of it, but is hoisted off it by a crane, operated by one of the children. Later that night, as the two sleep inside a cargo hold, One tells Miette that he used to be a whale hunter, responsible for harpooning the whales. One night, though, he heard the whales singing. After that, he was never able to hit a whale again. One lost his job, and now spends his time caring for orphans.
Back underwater, the diver finds the dream canister that was tossed in the sea earlier. Hauling it up, the nightmare comes out in the form of a green mist, and enters his mind through his nostrils. Dreaming about the oil platform and Krank, he suddenly shoots awake, the nightmare flowing back out and into town. He has a flashback, in which it is confirmed that he is the scientist, and we see him at work in his laboratory. Suddenly, Krank rushes in and attacks him. They fight, and eventually the scientist is overpowered, after his is hit on the head with a bottle by his wife. The two toss the injured and bloodied man into the sea. Eventually the nightmare reaches Miette, who suddenly realizes that the tattooed map the scientist spoke of leads to where the children are being taken.
The Octopus confronts Marcello about his failure to dispose of One, though they still believe Miette has drowned. She steals his fleas and barrel organ, and instructs her henchman to shoot Marcello. The henchman only pretends to shoot him, however, being fed up with the Octopus constantly bossing him around.
On the oil platform, a hungry Denrée goes looking for food. He sneaks into the dumbwaiter containing Kranks dinner, and is sent up along with it. When he emerges upstairs, the dinner is already eaten, and Krank calmly welcomes the boy into the room. Krank attempts to scare the boy, but is delighted to see that he is not afraid at all, caring only about food. He realizes that the boy is the solution to his problem, and is the only child that will not have a nightmare when hooked up to the machine.
In town, One and Miette search for the tatooed man. They eventually end up in a Chinese tattoo parlor, where the man and his wife argue in Chinese about whether or not to help them. When Miette presents them with a piece of jewelry she stole, the wife rips off the man's wig, and he bows to them, revealing the map tattooed on his head.
On the oil platform, we see one of the clones pointing out a blip on the radar to Irvin. Irvin proclaims that it's the messiah, coming to save them. Underwater, we see the scientist moving towards the platform.
Preparing to sail away in a rowing boat in the harbor, One and Miette are confronted by the Octopus, who demands Miette hand over the jewels. Seemingly appeased, she suddenly throws back her cape and reveals Marcello's barrel organ. As she starts playing, One suddenly turns to Miette and slaps her, having been poisoned by one of Marcello's fleas. As he strangles her, a flying tear from Miette causes a long chain reaction that eventually causes a power outage in the town, and all the lights (including the lighthouse) go out. A ship approaching the harbor then sounds its horn, and comes crashing into the pier the three are standing on. Miette and One jump off, and the ship stops just inches from the Octopus, who emerges into laughter over their bizarre luck.
As they prepare to finish off One and Miette by igniting a pool of gasoline that they poured off the pier, we see the flea that bit One returning to Marcello. Somehow, the flea tells Marcello about One and Miette's fate, and is sent to bite the Octopus. Marcello comes up behind them, and starts playing the organ, after which the Octopus attacks herself (each other) and eventually falls into the water. Marcello throws his cigarette in after her, setting the gasoline ablaze. Her unique boot (designed for her conjoined leg) comes floating up.
On the oil platform, Krank is seen preparing for another session with his dream machine, especially dropping some tablets into Irvin's tank to help rid him of his migraine. Meanwhile, One and Miette approach the oil platform in their boat. Inside, the clones panic as the blip that had been approaching is revealed to have reached the platform. Their mother sends them to inspect, and they find out that their stash of explosives has been stolen. One and Miette climb up into the oil platform, but get separated as a piece of string One tied to Miette to allow her to find her way back runs out. The scientist is seen setting explosives all over the platform, and One is confronted by the clones. He punches out some of them. Meanwhile, Miette is held at gunpoint by the mother of the clones, but the scientist shoots the mother from behind with a harpoon gun and reveals his plan to blow up the rig. She instructs Miette to go and stop Krank, but, reveals it to be a ruse, using her last breath to open up a trap door beneath Miette and One. Miette manages to escape, but One drops into the sea.
Eventually, Miette enters the main room where Krank is, sleeping. Irvin instructs her to hook herself to the machine, to confront him inside the dream. Once inside, we see Denrée in the exact same scene that the movie started with. As santa emerges from the chimney, however, this time, Miette enters, and picks up Denrée, taking him out of the room. Beyond the door is Krank's office, with another Denrée sitting at Krank's desk. The face of the Denrée in her arms suddenly transforms in that of Krank, and he inquires as to what she is doing here. Miette offers to take Denrée's place if Krank releases him. Krank agrees, and Denrée leaves. We suddenly see Krank growing younger, while Miette grows older. Suddenly panicking because the process does not cease, Krank moves to reach for his chime to call for aid, but is too late, as he shrinks to be too short to even reach it, eventually turning into a small child. Instead, Miette pulls the chime, and hides behind a curtain. One of the clones enters, and picks up the small Krank, hooking him to the dream machine. This sequence then loops, with Krank experiencing a dream of turning into young Krank and being fed into the dream machine recursively. Krank's dream having turned into a nightmare, the machine disengages. As Irvin approaches to inspect, Krank falls forward onto him, apparently dead. Then, One, having landed on a bird's nest instead of in the sea, comes in, and takes Miette and Denrée back down to the boat.
The three escape, as well as a different boat with the six clones and Irvin on it. The scientist is left behind, having strapped himself to the platform with explosives. As the first series of bombs goes off, numerous pieces of paper flutter down. He catches one, and, after reading it, suddenly regains his entire memory. He commands the clones and Irvin to return and save him, but is too late, as a bird lands on the plunger next to him, and the platform explodes, along with the scientist.
[edit] Cast
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[edit] Video game
- A video game based on this film was released in the US and in parts of Europe on the Sony PlayStation video game console and on the PC Computer.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Gamefaqs.com. "City of Lost Children Video Game" (html). GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/196922.html. Retrieved on February 22 2007.
[edit] External links
- The City of Lost Children at the Internet Movie Database
- The City of Lost Children at Allmovie
- The City of Lost Children Website Sony Pictures
- Screenshots
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