Der Zauberdrachen

I first saw this somewhat old-fashioned French "teenmovie" in the mid 60s, when I was about 10 myself and I've never forgotten the complete magic of it (just like another generation might have been fan, for example, of 'The Goonies"). It has the same kind of charm as Albert Lamorrisse's classic "The Red Balloon", plus quite an unusual twist that was really something for kids of that time,

***** I DON'T THINK THE FOLLOWING IS ANY SPOILER *****

since the little hero is supposed to travel through his own dreams, once he's in bed and fully asleep, from "Amelie"'s Paris suburbs to the very heart of 1958 China. In addition, be aware that the scenes set in Beijing were shot inside the actual Forbidden City, and connoisseurs do recognize at once the decayed imperial palace that Bertolucci will use 28 years later for his 9 Academy Awards winning "Last Emperor". No masterpiece, of course, but a fresh and delightful curiosity that would deserve to be re-discovered by both film-buffs and China lovers.

Roger Pigaut was first an actor.His most memorable part was in Autant-Lara's "Douce" (1942).But he is probably best remembered for his part of villain D'Escrainville in the two final episodes of the Angélique saga.Other important roles include Becker's "Antoine Et Antoinette" ,Christian-Jaque's "Sortilèges" and Daquin's "Les Frères Bouquinquant";his most efficient co-star was Madeleine Robinson .By the early sixties ,his career as an actor was on the wane.

Filmed in color,by Alekan ,one of the French masters of cinematography,the pictures are a feast for the eye and the score follows suit;even if the plot is thin -Pierrot and sister Monique wants to find the Chinese child who sent the kite they've found in old Paris;with a little help from a Parisian Chinese ,fluent in French, from imaginary character Soo Woo Kang and lots and lots of Chinese brats ,they search ,looking for a needle in a haystack.

The movie astutely mixes realistic scenes and dreamlike sequences :flying to Peking was unthinkable for the average French of the fifties ;all the young actors are non-professionals ,but French cine buffs may spot Gabrielle Fontan as a gossip and Guy Delorme as a fire fighter ,coming to the rescue of a pussycat that cannot come down from a tree.

The children 's lines are often spontaneous ,with occasionally some literary expressions ("Peu Après").French and Chinese -until an interpreter intervenes ,in the shape of a young brunette-can communicate ,because they speak the heart language.

There's of course a Chinese version,for the movie was made by Pigaut and a Chinese director.We are treated to the delights of a Chinese lunch complete with noodles and chopsticks.And we enter the Forbidden City.

Today,like Lamorisse's works, "Le Cerf-Volant Du Bout Du Monde" is a little overlooked,almost never screened on TV.It's not even mentioned in the French "Dictionnaire Des Films" ,which is difficult to swallow ,as so many silly flicks aimed at the children's market are included,with violence aplenty and would be funny gags .Although it may not grab today's kids,it is a breath of fresh air.With hindsight,in the last minutes of the movie (which are the most moving ) ,you may have tears in your eyes when you think about today's world.

Pigaut would continue his directing career through the seventies ,but his movies had nothing to do with his kite : it was thrillers,the most memorable of which was arguably " Comptes A Rebours"

In addition to my previous comment, after double-checking online the opening titles, I believe it is worth pointing out too that the artistic consultant of "The Magic Kite" was Pierre Prévert (illustrious screenwriter and poet Jacques Prévert's younger brother, and his collaborator on various productions). As for the cinematography, the DOP was nothing less than Henri Alekan (best known for his work on Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast", on Julien Duvivier's "Anna Karenina" – starring Vivien Leigh –, as well as on Wim Wenders' "The State of Things' and "Wings of Desire"). Two more reasons to have a further look at this possibly underrated film and to give it a chance to enter some day the charts of French kid-movies made before the Global era (which that project developed between France and China was quite ahead of, in its very own way).