The Delicatessen Reunion
Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro returned as co-directors after their distinctive 1991 debut feature Delicatessen.
Movie
The City of Lost Children
Where happily ever after is just a dream.
A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.
Why it's in the Vault
The City of Lost Children is a wonderfully strange journey into the imagination of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. Its decaying port city, impossible machinery, eccentric inhabitants and elaborate visual design create a world that feels halfway between a nightmare and a dark fairy tale. Ron Perlman's imposing yet vulnerable One and Judith Vittet's resourceful Miette give this bizarre universe an unexpectedly tender center. The production design, costumes and cinematography remain the film's most memorable strengths, while Angelo Badalamenti's haunting music deepens its dreamlike atmosphere. Seen long ago, it survives in memory above all as a wildly inventive and visually unforgettable experience rather than as a film whose every narrative detail remains fresh. A fascinating piece of French fantasy cinema, worth revisiting to rediscover its peculiar magic.
— Matty, Curator of the Vault*
Atmosphere
Dreamlike, grotesque, melancholic, industrial, uncanny
Surreal visual wonder
Dark fairy tale
Gothic melancholy
Adventure and mystery
Contains child abduction, disturbing dream imagery, violence, peril involving children, unsettling characters and themes of grief and exploitation.
Dans les coulisses
Ce qu'on ne voit pas à l'écran
Ron Perlman's French Adventure
American actor Ron Perlman plays One in a predominantly French-language production.
The Music of Angelo Badalamenti
The composer known for his collaborations with David Lynch created the film's haunting orchestral score.
Jean-Paul Gaultier's Costumes
The celebrated French fashion designer created costumes that reinforce the film's grotesque, timeless visual identity.
A Cannes Competition Film
The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.
A City Built From Imagination
The elaborate sets and practical visual design helped create its distinctive industrial fairy-tale universe.
Aux origines
An original screenplay by Gilles Adrien, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro
Palette
Les couleurs du film
Oxidized Green#526A5B
Industrial Copper#A16B48
Deep Sea Teal#294E50
Rust Red#8F433B
Dream Gold#C5A16C
Night Fog#343D42
Images
