The City of Lost Children Movie Review

Weird not-for-the-kiddies fairytale finds crazed inventor Krank (Daniel Emilfork) getting his evil one-eyed minions, the appropriately named ‘Cyclops,’ to kidnap local children so that he can steal their dreams (because Krank himself is incapable of dreaming). The latest victim is young Denree (Joseph Lucien), the adopted brother of sideshow strongman One (Ron Perlman, TV's Beauty and the Beast beast), who single-mindedly pursues a way to get Denree back – aided by 9-year-old feral child Miette (Judith Vittet) and a band of orphan thieves. The visuals are striking, including a bevy of mechanical flies and all-around sharp cinematography. Freaks galore with avant-garde designer Jean-Paul Gaultier in charge of costumes. AKA: La Cite des Enfants Perdus.

1995 (R) 111m/C FR Ron Perlman, Daniel Emilfork, Joseph Lucien, Judith Vittet, Dominique Pinon, Jean Claude Dreyfus, Odile Mallet, Genevieve Brunet, Mireille Mosse; D: Jean-Marie Jeunet, Marc Caro; W: Jean-Marie Jeunet, Marc Caro, Gilles Adrien; C: Darius Khondji; M: Angelo Badala-menti; V: Jean-Louis Trintignant. Nominations: Cesar Awards ‘96: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Score; Independent Spirit Awards ‘96: Best Foreign Language Film. VHS