An Exclusive Trailer Reveals the Restoration of a Masterpiece: René Clément’s Forbidden Games

      A rarity in contemporary cinema, René Clément’s Forbidden Games debuted at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival and was subsequently shown at the Venice Film Festival later that year, where it earned the prestigious Golden Lion award. This French war drama, which portrays World War II through the experiences of two children, has been restored in 4K and is set to premiere at NYC’s Film Forum starting May 9. In anticipation of the Rialto Pictures release, we are pleased to exclusively present the new trailer for this adaptation of François Boyer’s novel Les Jeux Interdits, featuring performances by Brigitte Fossey, Georges Poujouly, and Lucien Hubert.

      Here’s a brief overview: “A masterpiece of French post-war cinema directed by René Clément (who would later create the classic thriller Purple Noon, starring Alain Delon, eight years later), it was adapted by the renowned duo of Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost from Boyer’s bestselling novel. With a haunting score performed by guitar virtuoso Narciso Yepes, the captivating, humorous, and unsettling FORBIDDEN GAMES had a mixed reception at the box office and was only shown marginally at the Cannes Festival; it almost missed out at Venice—where it ultimately won the Golden Lion—and then achieved global art house acclaim, becoming Clément’s second Best Foreign Film Oscar winner (after the prior year’s The Walls of Malapaga).”

      The 4K restoration was created from the original 35mm negative as well as the sound negative. The image was scanned in 4K by TransPerfect Media, which conducted the color grading and digital enhancements to correct imperfections in the original materials. The process was overseen by the StudioCanal team, including Sophie Boyer and Jean-Pierre Boiget, with restoration and digitization supported by the CNC.

      Check out the exclusive trailer and poster debut below.