Children of Paradise - Criterion DVD (1 Viewer)

[Rain]

Ok, I emailed Jon Mulvany to ask this same question, but I'm impatient, so I'm hoping my knowledgable HTF cohorts can shed some light.
I've been very excited about the upcoming DVD release of Children of Paradise from Criterion and they now have the technical specs up at their site. The link is here.
I'm a bit confused as to why the film is apparently split over two discs. Yes, it's a long movie, but surely would fit on one disc.
If there is an Intermission break, then I wouldn't mind, but when I saw this film in a reperatory theater there was no Intermission.
I do understand that this film exists in various shortened prints, so I don't know how complete the one I saw was.
Anyone know if this film is supposed to have an Intermission or not? If not, I will be a bit disappointed with splitting the film over 2 discs. Nonetheless, it is a MUST OWN film.

 

[Rain]

Well, my second needless post of the day, apparently.
I just got an email from Jon Mulvany. In case anyone else is interested:

Dear Rain,
CHILDREN OF PARADISE was indeed originally shown in two parts (Part One - The Boulevard of Crime; Part Two - The Man in White) with an intermission.
For this reason, and because of the film's length, Criterion has decided to spread the film over two DVDs. This allows for better video quality.
Thanks for your mail and please feel free to contact me with any future questions or concerns.
Best,
JM

Ooooh, I can't wait.

 

[SteveGon]

I can't wait for this. I saw it years ago on VHS and thought it was terrific! The Criterion edition sounds very nice indeed. Darn, Criterion is gonna send me to the poorhouse next year...

 

[Jon Robertson]

Has the second half of Brian Stonehill's laserdisc commentary been scrapped?
Compare the laserdisc features to the DVD features - it seems quite a lot of material (including a video interview with Marcel Carne!) has been left off the new set.
Of course, the video and sound quality will be more than make up for it, I'm sure, but if it's there, why not use it?

 

[Deepak Shenoy]

CHILDREN OF PARADISE was indeed originally shown in two parts (Part One - The Boulevard of Crime; Part Two - The Man in White) with an intermission.

This movie was made during the Nazi occupation of France, and the Nazis apparently restricted the length of features to 90 minutes. That is the reason why this movie was originally made as two movies.

I found this interesting tidbit of information on IMDB. I have never seen the movie and I am looking forward to the Criterion release.

 

[debi_lee]

It is widely established that this film was indeed created in 2 parts to work around the constraints of the Vichy government at the time. There is a version with an intermission linking Part One: The Boulevard of Crime (Le Boulevard du crime) to Part Two: The Man in White (L'Homme Blanc) that I have seen in theaters. The second part begins anew with opening credits repeated and a new prologue, which includes a summary of Part One. The action takes place "several years later."

I don't have the LD, but I have the Home Vision VHS which does not include the intermission, just begins the second tape with Part Two.

This is the one DVD I have been waiting for. I am terrifically disappointed there will be no research material included on the art of the pantomime, a tragic oversight.