The City Of Lost Children (1995) ****1/2 [City UHD Double Feature Pt. 2]

I distinctly remember being drawn to the cover of the VHS tape for The City Of Lost Children (1995)—with its odd-looking fellow with an odd-looking contraption on his head—renting it from Blockbuster Video in 1996 (the year it was released on said format), and eventually buying a copy. It was love on first watch. 

Some time before I knew who directors Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, cinematographer Darius Khondji, costume (and fashion) designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, or composer Angelo Badalamenti were, 16-year-old me just really loved the strange, beautiful, and dark world of this wonderful fairy tale science fantasy. 43-year-old me still does but also appreciates all those artists and what they contributed to make such a unique piece of cinema.

I've seen (and owned) TCOLC on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and now 4K UHD and it looks the best it ever has on this latest format, its hyper-stylized visuals deservedly shining on screen. For a long time this was my favorite JPJ (and Caro) film, but Delicatessen (1991) (review) has dethroned it by a hair. I can see now some of the weaker points in the narrative and the CGI is a bit rough around the edges. There may be just a touch less magic when I watch TCOLC these days, but it remains  one of my very favorite films.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet Feature Films Ranked