Had this film been made a decade later, I would not have scored it a 10--though I would still recommend you see it. The reason why I think it deserves a 10 is that for the time it was made, it was an incredible film. They simply didn't make 126 minute films during this early era of the cinema and full-length movies like we think of them today were quite rare. "The Infant of Paris" is also amazing because the story is quite complex--and has a very nice narrative. It also, in many ways, is reminiscent of "Oliver Twist".
The film begins with a happy family. Their peaceful existence is disrupted when the father is sent to serve in the army in Morocco. Soon after his arrival, his troops are attacked by locals and he is assumed to have been killed. His wife learns of this and despairs so much that she soon becomes ill and dies. As for their young daughter, she is left with a man who you assume is her godfather or uncle. When he, too, is sent to active duty, he has no choice but to put the young girl in a boarding school. However, the girls at the school are very cruel to the child and she soon runs away. However, what is a child to do in Paris when she only appears to be about 6 years-old?! Soon, a man by the nickname of "The Graduate" finds her and sells her to someone to use as a young slave in his shop. However, another one of his workers (Bosco) cares for her. At first, it seems a bit creepy with Bosco loving the little girl so much, but he turns out to be a very decent young man.
Later, the dead father turns out to be alive! He's welcomed back to Paris as a hero but he's shocked to find out his wife is dead and his girl missing for a year! He offers a reward to anyone who can get his girl back to him. The Graduate approaches him, but instead of returning the girl, he kidnaps the father and demands even more money. Bosco learns what is happening and gets the police. The criminal gang is caught--but The Graduate escapes with the little girl. Bosco gives chase and much of the final third of the film consists of him trekking across France in search of the girl. In the end, all is good and Bosco is adopted by the girl's father! While this was a nice resolution, it did seem to happen very abruptly.
The film had a lot going for it. Though the camera was mostly stationary (the style of the day), at times it did move about to better capture the action. However, in the battle scenes, the claustrophobic style of early camera-work was apparent--later film makers would have used a wide angle lens or moved the camera back more to get the shot better. Still, a nice story and well worth seeing--particularly for fans of silents.
The film begins with a happy family. Their peaceful existence is disrupted when the father is sent to serve in the army in Morocco. Soon after his arrival, his troops are attacked by locals and he is assumed to have been killed. His wife learns of this and despairs so much that she soon becomes ill and dies. As for their young daughter, she is left with a man who you assume is her godfather or uncle. When he, too, is sent to active duty, he has no choice but to put the young girl in a boarding school. However, the girls at the school are very cruel to the child and she soon runs away. However, what is a child to do in Paris when she only appears to be about 6 years-old?! Soon, a man by the nickname of "The Graduate" finds her and sells her to someone to use as a young slave in his shop. However, another one of his workers (Bosco) cares for her. At first, it seems a bit creepy with Bosco loving the little girl so much, but he turns out to be a very decent young man.
Later, the dead father turns out to be alive! He's welcomed back to Paris as a hero but he's shocked to find out his wife is dead and his girl missing for a year! He offers a reward to anyone who can get his girl back to him. The Graduate approaches him, but instead of returning the girl, he kidnaps the father and demands even more money. Bosco learns what is happening and gets the police. The criminal gang is caught--but The Graduate escapes with the little girl. Bosco gives chase and much of the final third of the film consists of him trekking across France in search of the girl. In the end, all is good and Bosco is adopted by the girl's father! While this was a nice resolution, it did seem to happen very abruptly.
The film had a lot going for it. Though the camera was mostly stationary (the style of the day), at times it did move about to better capture the action. However, in the battle scenes, the claustrophobic style of early camera-work was apparent--later film makers would have used a wide angle lens or moved the camera back more to get the shot better. Still, a nice story and well worth seeing--particularly for fans of silents.