The City of Lost Children

The City of Lost Children is a 1995 dark fantasy/steampunk film. It is a French film, but we watched the English dub. Next time I'll watch it in French. There will be a next time for this film. The Younger Son suggested it, having received it as a birthday present. His asking for it was the first I had heard of it. Makes me wonder what other wonders I'm missing out on.

The film stars Ron Perlman (the Hellboy movies). The music is by Angelo Badalamenti.

trailer:


Roger Ebert loves the visuals but needs a more compelling story:

Through the years there have been other such inspired films made for the eye: "Blade Runner," "Fantasia," "Days of Heaven," "Brazil," "El Topo," "Santa Sangre," "Akira" and indeed "Delicatessen" come to mind. I am trying to be rather precise here, because many people will probably not find themselves sympathetic to this movie's overachieving technological pretensions, while others will find it the best film in months or years. You know who you are.

The New York Times says it

is so enraptured by its own visual gimmickry and weird characters that it forgets to connect the dots of its overly populous story.

Moria says it "is surely the most gorgeously designed film you will ever see in some time" and "is also one of its year’s most beautifully photographed films" but "What one would have liked though is a plot".

SFGate calls it "odd but riveting" and opens their review by saying,

The City of Lost Children'' is a dark phantasmagoria so visually amazing and provocative -- yet dense and confusing -- that viewers may need to see it more than once to take it all in. Or to figure out exactly what it's all about.

But it doesn't matter.

Variety also has a review.

Other reviews:

366 Weird Movies