Notes On Jean Renoir’s Toni
A relatively early work from Jean Renoir, Toni is something of a diversion for the filmmaker, as he departs Paris for the south of France and the immigrant communities that form the heart of the redefining of the land. At its heart Toni is a fjlm about regret, obsession and faith. The titular character, portrayed … Read more
“Fantasies dramatique du Jean Renoir” – La règle du jeu
Here’s a transcript of an introduction I did for a screening of Jean Renoir’s La règle du jeu. Often cited as the greatest French film of all time, and a regular fixture in the top half of the Sight & Sound top ten, La règle du jeu is as perfect a place to begin as anywhere when … Read more
Encapsulating The Human Condition; La Bête Humaine
It is often said that Jean Renoir had an incredibly deep understanding of the human condition. In fact, its possibly the trait most closely associated with the filmmaker. Through his work Renoir manages to somehow encapsulate very specific, yet wholly relatable emotional feelings, and no better is it on display than with La Bête Humaine, … Read more
A Fatalistic Persona & Star Power In Action – Pepe Le Moko
The story of a criminal on the run and his North African safe haven, Pepe Le Moko marked the beginning of a wave of French cinema that focussed on characters ground in tragedy, much in the same way that the Film Noir movement would inspire the American cinema in the years following the second World … Read more
There and Back Again – Boudu Saved From Drowning
Jean Renoir’s third sound work, and perhaps the most notable of his early work, Boudu Saved From Drowning has recently been the subject of a major digital restoration, and, as such, has made it’s way to Blu-ray this week. The story of a homeless man taken in by a wealthy family, who in turn attempt … Read more
Legitimately Renoir? Partie de campagne
An early work from Jean Renoir, Partie de campagne tells the story of the Dufour family, a wealthy Parisian family taking vacation in the rural countryside surrounding France’s capital. Upon arriving at their destination the female members of the party, Henriette and her mother Madame Dufour, are led toward temptation by a pair of charming … Read more
The Birth Of The New Poetic – Á Nous La Liberté
This early work from René Clair came at the dawn of the sound cinema. Combining music with imagery to great success, Clair’s tale of a pair of prisoners and their mixed successes outside of the confines of the jail house is a prime example of the moment in time when the French cinema reached out … Read more
The Spirit Of Contradiction – La Grande Illusion
Jean Renoir’s most notable work is an unusual force. Borne previously to, but easily mistakable as a product of the second World War, Renoir’s tale of determination and spirit is as relevant 70 years after initial release as it was in its day. The story of a pair of military men from opposite sides of … Read more
Make Way For Tomorrow
Leo McCarey, 1937. US. It’s not often that one might accuse the great Orson Welles of underselling something. The filmmaker was a notorious hype-machine, over-selling every facet of his life (and by the end of said life, even frozen vegetables), yet in his assertions concerning Leo McCarey’s Make Way For Tomorrow it might be countered … Read more
The Edge Of The World
Michael Powell, 1937. UK. Michael Powell’s first independent feature film, and the final one which he would make before beginning his legendary collaboration period with Emeric Pressburger proves to be a prognostic affair, with the film containing many of the stylistic overtures and techniques that would later become synonymous with the filmmaker. Having cut his … Read more
