The gods

The gods is a theatrical term, common in Britain, referring to the highest areas of a theatre such as the upper balconies. These are generally the cheapest seats.

There are references to the "gods" in many plays and films. Among them is the famous French film, "Les Enfants du Paradis" (or "Children of Paradise" in its US release), which is described as "set in the teeming theatre district of 1840s Paris (the "boulevard du crime"), the paradise of the film's title is a reference to "the gods", the highest, cheapest seats in the theatre, occupied by the poorest of the poor. As the well-known 1930s-and-later screenwriter Jacques Prévert said when asked about the meaning of the title, "it refers to the actors (...) and the audiences too, the good-natured, working-class audience". [ [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/01/12/enfants.html Girish Shambu] , "Les Enfants du Paradis", in sensesofcinema.com, January 2001]

References

* [http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=141 Essays on "Les Enfants du Paradis" at the Criterion Collection]