Porte des Lilas (English: Gate of Lilacs) is a 1957 French-Italian crime drama film directed by René Clair, based on René Fallet's novel La Grande ceinture. The film is known as both Gates of Lilacs and The Gates of Paris, but was released under the latter title in the United States.[1]

Porte des Lilas
Gates of Paris
Directed byRené Clair
Screenplay byRené Clair
Jean Aurel
Based onLa Grande ceinture
by René Fallet
Produced byRené Clair
André Daven
StarringPierre Brasseur
Georges Brassens
Henri Vidal
Dany Carrel
CinematographyRobert Lefebvre
Edited byLouisette Hautecoeur
Music byGeorges Brassens
Distributed byCinédis (France)
Lopert Pictures Corporation (U.S.)
Release dates
  • 20 September 1957 (1957-09-20) (Italy)
  • 25 September 1957 (1957-09-25) (France)
Running time
95 minutes
CountriesFrance
Italy
LanguageFrench

Plot

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Pierre Barbier is a convicted criminal accused of murder and wanted by the police. Hungry and sick, he finds refuge with a kind-hearted boy known as "The Artist." His unexpected arrival disrupts the lives of three inhabitants of the working-class neighborhood of Porte des Lilas in eastern Paris. First, there's the Artist, who struggles with the presence of the outlaw in his home but tries to help him get proper documentation. Then there's Juju, a lazy, alcoholic man who admires Barbier. Lastly, there's Maria, who suspects a secret and sneaks into the Artist's house to find Barbier. He deceives her in a vile manner, which infuriates Juju, who is in love with her. In the end, Juju commits a crime by killing the man who ruined his dreams.

Cast

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Awards

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The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film[2] and a BAFTA Award in 1958 and won the Bodil Award for Best European Film.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ According to Ronald Bergan and Robyn Karney in the Bloomsbury Foreign Film Guide (London: Bloomsbury, 1988, p. 224) and Melissa E. Biggs (French Films, 1945–1993, Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1996, p. 221) the film has these two alternate English titles. The English title used on the original British release is unclear.
  2. ^ "The 30th Academy Awards (1958) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
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