In the first of two new restorations of classic works by Carné—for both projects, Carné was joined by writer Jacques Prévert and production designer Alexandre Trauner—a waterfront café in the lower depths of Le Havre becomes a shadowy backdrop for criminal low-lifes and ill-fated love. Despairing army defector Jean Gabin, hiding from authorities, falls for the restless beauty Michèle Morgan while waiting to get out of town. Maurice Jaubert's score and Eugen Schüfftan's camera work reinforce the menace below the murky surface in this prime example of French poetic realism. (Le quai des brumes, 1938, DCP, French with subtitles, 91 minutes)

A celebration of theatrical life on the famous Boulevard du Crime—once the site of small playhouses (including Théâtre des Funambules) where Parisians strolled nightly, until the city was rebuilt in the 1860s—the tale unfolds around a romantic rivalry for the love of Garance (Arletty), adored courtesan of the boulevard. Several characters are based on historical figures, including the Bohemian-French mime Jean-Gaspard Deburau known as Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault). Marred for many years by poor or incomplete commercial prints, Les enfants du paradis has been digitally restored to its full black-and-white brilliance. (1945, DCP, French with subtitles, 190 minutes)