A Masterpiece is Restored in Exclusive Trailer for René Clément’s Forbidden Games

A rarity in today’s age, René Clément’s Forbidden Games premiered at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival and went on to screen later that year at the Venice Film Festival, where it picked up the festival’s top prize of Golden Lion. The French war drama, which captures World War II through the eyes of two children, has now been restored in 4K and will open at NYC’s Film Forum beginning May 9. Ahead of the Rialto Pictures release, we’re pleased to exclusively premiere the new trailer for the adaptation of François Boyer’s novel Les Jeux Interdits starring Brigitte Fossey, Georges Poujouly, and Lucien Hubert.

Here’s the synopsis: “A masterpiece of French post-war cinema by director René Clément (who would make the classic thriller Purple Noon, starring Alain Delon, eight years later), adapted by the legendary team of Jean Aurenche and Pierre Bost from Boyer’s successful novel, with a haunting hit score played by guitar virtuoso Narciso Yepes, the beautiful, hilarious and disturbing FORBIDDEN GAMES initially did so-so box office and screened only on the fringes of the Cannes Festival, then nearly got shut out of Venice — where it promptly won its top prize, the Golden Lion — then became a worldwide art house smash and Clément’s second Best Foreign Film Oscar winner (following the previous year’s The Walls of Malapaga).”

The 4K restoration was produced from the original 35mm negative and the sound negative. The image was scanned in 4K by TransPerfect Media, which carried out the color grading and digital work to erase imperfections present on the original elements. Supervised by the Studiocanal team, Sophie Boyer and Jean-Pierre Boiget. Restoration and digitization with the support of the CNC.

See the exclusive trailer and poster premiere below.