荆棘天堂

　　电影改编自真实历史事件。故事发生在十六世纪，国王亨利八世（罗伯特·肖 Robert Shaw 饰）爱上了名叫安妮（瓦妮莎·雷德格瑞夫 Vanessa Redgrave 饰）的女子，他想同王后离婚，却又碍于世俗道德的制约。亨利八世找到了大法官托马斯（保罗·斯科菲尔德 Paul Scofield 饰），他要求托马斯在离婚法令上签字，企图以托马斯的德高望重来减轻自己的负罪。
　　托马斯一生光明磊落，国王的无理要求令极富正义感的他十分困扰，因为他明白，拒绝国王的人注定不会有好下场。在内心良知的引导下，托马斯贯彻了自己的原则，他拒绝签字并辞去了官职，可即便如此，正直的他也最终未能逃脱死于非命的厄运。

　　面包店助手泰柯（吉亚科莫·费拉拉 饰）厌倦每天一成不变的生活。一日，他在屋顶上吸烟休息时，目睹一只奇怪的海鸥从天而降坠落，泰柯受好奇心驱使出发调查，途中遇见了修女、一群戴面具的小孩、废墟里的养蜂隐士、都市裸体主义者、与美丽的降落伞冒险家史黛拉（奥里莉亚·波伊莱尔饰），不寻常的事件接二连三发生，泰柯彷彿置身于电玩游戏，穿越一道道关卡，这是他逃离日常束缚的开始，在罗马如迷宫般的屋顶上，充满奇遇的华丽冒险就此展开！

　　Summary
　　Bullied by his matriarchal mother, abused by his siblings, ignored by his father, Poil de Carotte's childhood is as miserable as it could be. An illegitimate child, he is the main reason for the enmity which exists between his parents, who continue to live together just to keep up appearances. In the end, Poil de Carotte's suffering becomes more than he can bear...
　　Review
　　Drawing heavily on the poignant novel by Jules Renard on which it is based, Poil de carotte is a modest yet appealing film which has stood the test of time mainly because of the quality of its acting performances and its inherent humanity. It is more memorable than Julien Duvivier's earlier silent version of 1925, also named Poil de Carotte.
　　The part of Poil de Carotte was played by 11 year old Robert Lynen, who was alleged to have been discovered whilst walking down the Champs-Elysées in Paris. Lynen is totally captivating and the film made him an instant star, launching what looked like becoming a very promising film career – until he was shot dead whilst fighting against the Germans in 1944. Harry Baur, a legendary stage and film actor (who also died during World War II, allegedly at the hands of the Gestapo), also turns in a typically fine performance. The reconciliation between father and son at the end of the film provides its most enduring image, enough to melt the heart of all but the most stoical of spectators.