Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • September 26, 2012 New DVD releases (continued from Restaurant page) of all 17 episodes featured along with background information; the featurette “I Want to Push the Button: The History of The Carol Burnett Show;” and a cast reunion with Burnett, Lawrence, Conway, and Waggoner. The difficulty of including complete shows is that not every moment is scintillating. It’s certainly nice to see the shows as they were seen originally by millions, but some of the segments lack the sparkle they may have once had. However, most of the material stills works and, sans commercials, the episodes zip along. In addition to “Carol’s Favorites,” there is also available a pricey ($199.95) 22-DVD box set containing 50 complete episodes, 20 hours of new, never-before-seen bonus features, a 20-page memory book, and a 90-minute interview with Korman and Conway at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles. “Children of Paradise” (The Criterion Collection) is making its debut on Blu-ray. Made during the Nazi occupation of France, the movie takes its title from the French phrase for the cheap seats in a theater or movie house that were high up, nearest the angels frequently painted on the ceiling. The setting is 1820s Paris. Four men lust after the inscrutable Garance (Arletty). Lacenaire (Marcel Herrand) is a swindler, a crime boss capable of violence. He keeps Garance under his protection. Frederick (Pierre Brasseur) is a would-be actor who runs into her in the crowded “boulevard of crime,” where rogues, beggars, and actors congregate. He fancies himself Garance’s lover, and she coyly plays along. Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault) is a mime whose genius only earns a showcase when Garance is accused of a crime Lacenaire commits. Baptiste, in full makeup, mimes the crime as a witness. A jealous, duel-happy count (Louis Salou) also falls under the Garance spell. “Children of Paradise” poetically blurs the line between real life and stage drama. The movie is a study of romantic love. Filled with life and spirit, it looks at love requited and unrequited, passionate and cool. Director Marcel Carne celebrates illusion and balances his epic film between intimacy and grandeur. It is beautifully photographed and the recent restoration highlights the superb lighting and use of shadow for dramatic effect. Few films look as dazzling in black and white. The two-disc Blu-ray contains the 2011 pristine restoration of the film, a making-of documentary, a visual essay on the movie’s design, and a booklet containing a critical essay. Also included are 1967 interviews with Carne, Arletty, Barrault, and Brasseur.