ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

JLRVancouver Liliom Zadowski (Charles Boyer) is a charismatic ne'er-do-well working as a carousel barker at a small carnival when he seduces naïve young Julie (Madeleine Ozeray). Fired by his jealous boss (Florelle), he ends up loafing around the house and hanging out with his disreputable friends while Julie works. The seemingly one-sided relationship suffers until Julie (with great delicacy) tells him that she's pregnant. Exited by the prospect of fatherhood but desperate for money, Liliom partners with his scurrilous buddy Alfred (Pierre Alcover) to steal a payroll. The heist goes bad and Liliom ends up in heaven, where he is forced to face the truth about his behaviour towards Julie but is then given one day back on Earth to make amends. The film is a bit stagey (not surprising considering its source, a play by Ferenc Molnár) and leisurely paced (especially the first half), but the imaginative and surreal scenes in heaven are worth the wait. Apparently church dignitaries were not too pleased with the whimsical portrayal of God's dominion (complete with inept celestial bureaucrats sporting tiny wings and a big door leading to flaming purgatory). Boyer is excellent in the role (although his character is not very likable, especially by modern standards), which is good because he is the center of most scenes. Although not a success for director Fritz Lang, Liliom is an entertaining (albeit a bit talky and dated) early entry in the 'back from heaven' genre that is quite 'European' and more 'adult' than would have been allowed in post-Code Hollywood. In addition to this and other film versions, the Molnár's play is the basis of the famous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Carousel".

The apple man Liliom is not a masterpiece of cinema, but not a terrible movie. Moreover, could he be considered as such, knowing that Fritz Lang is also the author of the unavoidable classics such as Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) and M (Fritz Lang, 1931)? There is doubt, but Liliom is no more or less than the account of a proud man who believes himself strong and who breaks the heart of his wife and who pays the price. It is a story based on the moral sense of a young man and the viewer is reflected in the message of the film. As for example in these famous situations of life where a little angel is on our right shoulder that dictates what is good to do and a little devil on the left shoulder trying to tempt us to succumb to our vices. Liliom, meanwhile, is vicious and manipulative, but he has necessarily good in him.This feature is fortunately not that a beast series of annoying scenes. The film opens on a noisy stage, or a thundering music tries to surpass the cries of Liliom and extras. The rather jerky assembly of this sequence combined with the avalanche of decibels is at least a sign of activity that is imposed on us from the first minutes. Moreover, we witness a battle scene where the noise stops completely for a minute when Liliom and his colleague of the circus look at each other intensely. This unfortunately too short sequence could have been much more impressive but the viewer is left hungry. The rhythm of the film slowed down enormously thereafter. Some shots without music are much too long, allowing us to appreciate the soft sound of the film in the beginning of the talk, but also to fall asleep. We are very far from the style to the Charlie Chaplin, where the action happens very quickly and where the gags are connected without respite. No, Liliom, he takes his time. It does not prevent that the film is played by very good actors. All the replies of Charles Boyer are sublime, every time his character opens his mouth, we want to laugh out loud. Liliom may well be arrogant and we hate him a little because of this, but we find each of the exchanges he makes with the characters more or less secondary very entertaining. Madeleine Ozeray and Florelle both perform a convincing performance, despite a game a bit too stretched. But the character of the commissioner is absolutely sublime. We love him so much in the role of the commissioner as in that of the angel who judges.We can also note the strangeness of the music of the film. Insupportable circus music comes back at several moments, even during certain dramatic scenes where the atmosphere is heavy. Unfortunately this contrast only brings confusion to the viewer. Music completely opposite to the emotion created by the characters playing on the screen has no effect. The part that follows the death of Liliom is probably the most interesting. The spectator finds himself abruptly light-years away from what he has seen until now. The film turns to the real fanciful comedy when the main character resurrects and is transported to heaven by two men dressed perfectly shadows of blacks with a complexion white as snow and that he is judged by an angel. In this sequence, we have the confirmation that the film is not serious, but the scene breaks the monotony whose film has appeared since the beginning and the spectator, suddenly, comes out of its passive state. We see the arrival of new characters, the film changes costumes and sets and the dramatic tone before disappears to give way to a much lighter tone, until the end. Liliom deserves to be seen, but not to the point of being a classic. The moviegoers will find their account there for sure.

writers_reign As a rule in his Hollywood films Charles Boyer was never called upon to show much animation - of course I haven't seen them all as I can take or leave him - and usually personified gravitas, ruthlessness even, stone- face etc. In fact the only role I can think of where he unleashed any exuberance was a late one, in Barefoot In The Park, so it's something of a revelation to see him in the opening scenes of Liliom, breaking in and keeping warm the striped jersey for Gordon Macrae in Carousel. Trivia buffs will appreciate an early glimpse of Viviane Romance and Florelle is also on hand in her pre-Le Crime of Monsieur Lange days. Anyone who has seen Carousel will be struck at how closely it adheres to Liliom and vice versa. Personally I failed to detect any Langisms but I do take exception to one poster who dismissed Billy Wilder's work in France as 'negligible' and lauding Weill's insipid Seven Deadly Sins. If 'Mauvaise Graine' is negligible then 'Les Enfants du Paradis' is ho hum at best.

GManfred Saw this picture was playing at the Film Forum so I said, what the heck, why not? At least I can compare it to "Carousel". And so, I was not prepared for it and was pleasantly surprised. It is a minimalist (to use current artsy language) version with spare sets and shot entirely on a sound stage, and featuring Charles Boyer as Liliom as I had never seen him before. It was a great performance from Boyer, almost unrecognizable from the oily gigolo types he played in Hollywood. Boisterous and exuberant, he brings his character to life, and now I can't imagine anyone else playing this role.Apart from no musical score, this picture differs from "Carousel" as Liliom enters his afterlife. In "Carousel", the sequence in heaven was almost an afterthought, but here Lang infuses it with some touches that are both surreal and extremely imaginative, and without the benefit of digital enhancement. No special effects here. I didn't care for Madeleine Ozeray's interpretation of the Julie character, which came off as naive and withdrawn, almost a form of neurosis. But she, like the rest of the cast, stayed out of Boyer's way. Recommended - see it if you are a fan of actors and acting.