28 Toni
- Lino
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28 Toni
Toni
Financed by Marcel Pagnol's production company, Jean Renoir's Toni is a landmark in French filmmaking. Based on a police dossier concerning a provincial crime of passion, it was lensed by Claude Renoir on location (unusually for the time) in the small town of Les Martigues where the actual events occurred. The use of directly-recorded sound, authentic patois, lack of make-up, a large ensemble cast of local citizens in supporting roles, and Renoir's steadfast desire to avoid melodrama lead to Toni often being labeled "the first 'neorealist' film". Renoir himself disagreed. Although Toni is acknowledged as a masterly forerunner of neo-realist preoccupations and techniques he wrote: "I do not think that is quite correct. The Italian films are magnificent dramatic productions, whereas in Toni I was at pains to avoid the dramatic."
Toni's story centres on an Italian immigrant, Antonio Canova (Charles Blavette), a labourer at a local quarry who has become entangled in relationships with his landlady (Jenny Helia) and with the young, hot-blooded Spaniard, Josefa (Celia Montalvan). As Josefa's life disintegrates through rape and a necessitous marriage to the brutish foreman Albert (Max Dalban), Toni is caught up in a series of marriages gone sour and the psychological fragility of those he cares for.
Despite the exquisite location backgrounds — the vineyards, rocky hilltops and verdant pathways surrounding the little village — Renoir makes no attempt to impose, through picturesqueness, the placid power of this Provencal backwater. Toni's direct style and theme (Luchino Visconti was assistant director) attained classic status with the critics and directors of the French New Wave. Renoir's vision of realism approaches a purity sometimes found in documentary, whilst retaining the literary power and emotion of Balzac, Flaubert and Zola. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Toni for the first time on DVD in the West.
SPECIAL FEATURES
• New progressive transfer
• Full length audio commentary by Kent Jones and Phillip Lopate
• Video introduction by NFT programmer Geoff Andrew
• Promotional material gallery
• New and improved optional English subtitles
• 28-page booklet with a reprint of Tom Milne's 1980 review and numerous archive reprints
Financed by Marcel Pagnol's production company, Jean Renoir's Toni is a landmark in French filmmaking. Based on a police dossier concerning a provincial crime of passion, it was lensed by Claude Renoir on location (unusually for the time) in the small town of Les Martigues where the actual events occurred. The use of directly-recorded sound, authentic patois, lack of make-up, a large ensemble cast of local citizens in supporting roles, and Renoir's steadfast desire to avoid melodrama lead to Toni often being labeled "the first 'neorealist' film". Renoir himself disagreed. Although Toni is acknowledged as a masterly forerunner of neo-realist preoccupations and techniques he wrote: "I do not think that is quite correct. The Italian films are magnificent dramatic productions, whereas in Toni I was at pains to avoid the dramatic."
Toni's story centres on an Italian immigrant, Antonio Canova (Charles Blavette), a labourer at a local quarry who has become entangled in relationships with his landlady (Jenny Helia) and with the young, hot-blooded Spaniard, Josefa (Celia Montalvan). As Josefa's life disintegrates through rape and a necessitous marriage to the brutish foreman Albert (Max Dalban), Toni is caught up in a series of marriages gone sour and the psychological fragility of those he cares for.
Despite the exquisite location backgrounds — the vineyards, rocky hilltops and verdant pathways surrounding the little village — Renoir makes no attempt to impose, through picturesqueness, the placid power of this Provencal backwater. Toni's direct style and theme (Luchino Visconti was assistant director) attained classic status with the critics and directors of the French New Wave. Renoir's vision of realism approaches a purity sometimes found in documentary, whilst retaining the literary power and emotion of Balzac, Flaubert and Zola. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Toni for the first time on DVD in the West.
SPECIAL FEATURES
• New progressive transfer
• Full length audio commentary by Kent Jones and Phillip Lopate
• Video introduction by NFT programmer Geoff Andrew
• Promotional material gallery
• New and improved optional English subtitles
• 28-page booklet with a reprint of Tom Milne's 1980 review and numerous archive reprints
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- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:09 pm
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
The cheesy Asian DVD on eBay is an ok picture but has hands down the worst English subtitling I've ever seen. It's exactly the same as putting Bulgarian into Babelfish to make into German, then putting the German in to make French, then putting the French in to make English - "Have four wheels in the tree confidently?"
A very surreal experience, and almost worth getting the disc for!
A very surreal experience, and almost worth getting the disc for!
I bought the Chinese Toni DVD and agree with Peerpee that the subs are useless. Striaghtaway when the name of the film appears on screen -"TONI" - the subs translate the title as:
"Flat is well known: hold nun"
The film also appears to have been directed by "Let. Lu Nuo Er Lu" with a leading role played by "Cloth come Wei special". Choice lines of dialogue include "I have met your foot" and "Good elephent is in my behind".
The 'French' is also reasonably hard to deal with, the subs being worthless. There's Corsican language in there (particularly in the songs) and some of the dialogue and accents are hard to make out.
Certainly, I'll have to wait for the MoC disc.
"Flat is well known: hold nun"
The film also appears to have been directed by "Let. Lu Nuo Er Lu" with a leading role played by "Cloth come Wei special". Choice lines of dialogue include "I have met your foot" and "Good elephent is in my behind".
The 'French' is also reasonably hard to deal with, the subs being worthless. There's Corsican language in there (particularly in the songs) and some of the dialogue and accents are hard to make out.
Certainly, I'll have to wait for the MoC disc.
- htdm
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 3:46 am
That sounds like the "English" subtitles on a questionable copy of Sai Yoichi's Blood and Bones that I bought on eBay.
Getting back to Toni, there is a very nice R2 disc put out by Imagica in Japan with Japanese subs only. Imagica's titles are really hit and miss (for an example of the latter see their versions of Lang's Spione and Loin du Vietnam) but this particular transfer looks unusually sharp. That said, I would be very surprised if MoC's version wasn't superior in every way.
Getting back to Toni, there is a very nice R2 disc put out by Imagica in Japan with Japanese subs only. Imagica's titles are really hit and miss (for an example of the latter see their versions of Lang's Spione and Loin du Vietnam) but this particular transfer looks unusually sharp. That said, I would be very surprised if MoC's version wasn't superior in every way.
- ellipsis7
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
- Location: Dublin
- Ovader
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:56 am
- Location: Canada
Nick, according to the book "Mists Of Regret" (Dudley Andrew) the following scene was censored from the release print.
The censors perceived this as callous and brutal. Will this scene be included on the DVD?
SpoilerShow
After Josefa has shot Albert, Toni helps her to wheel the corpse into the quarry as though it were her laundry. Along the way some poor Corsicans happen by and keep them company singing a jaunty tune.
Last edited by Ovader on Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
That scene is lost. Renoir himself talks about it a few times in the accompanying 28-page booklet, which also contains:
Jean Renoir's Letter to Cinema Managers (1934)
Jean Renoir presents Toni (1961)
Jean Renoir on Toni's re-release in France (1956)
Jean Renoir interview by Francois Truffaut & Jacques Rivette (1956)
Pierre Gaut on Toni (1972)
Jean Renoir discusses Toni with Charles Blavette & Pierre Gaut (1966)
Tom Milne on Toni (1980)
Toni's Press (1935-1992)
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TONI is now finished and manufactured. It's hitting distribution streams early next week.
Jean Renoir's Letter to Cinema Managers (1934)
Jean Renoir presents Toni (1961)
Jean Renoir on Toni's re-release in France (1956)
Jean Renoir interview by Francois Truffaut & Jacques Rivette (1956)
Pierre Gaut on Toni (1972)
Jean Renoir discusses Toni with Charles Blavette & Pierre Gaut (1966)
Tom Milne on Toni (1980)
Toni's Press (1935-1992)
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TONI is now finished and manufactured. It's hitting distribution streams early next week.
- Lino
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:18 am
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Reviews:
DVD Times
The appearance of Toni in Eureka's Masters of Cinema series is a pleasant surprise, the label continuing to expand their range beyond their initial remit of early silent film and classic Japanese horror into a much wider catalogue of classic cinema that is unlikely to be seen outside of the Criterion Collection, and often not even there. One hopes that access to Toni might see equally fine releases of other neglected classics of early French cinema (La Trilogie Marseillaise or La Femme du Boulanger possibly?). Renoir's Toni however is a good start – a film of traditional melodrama and passion given a remarkably strong realist treatment, with striking use of location shooting and non-actors. This film gets a typically fine treatment from Eureka as part of their Masters of Cinema collection, with a strong transfer and a considered selection of extra features.
DVDBeaver
This is a great release folks. I am thrilled with it. Truly, I think this is one of the best DVD releases of the year so far and can see it garnering many votes in our balloting in December. I consider this a must-own DVD.
- ellipsis7
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A very nice Easter Egg: I'd really enjoyed the commentary, so having the chance to hear a bit more was very welcome. Two-handed commentaries often work very well, I'm surprised they're not done more frequently.
A great disc: amazing to see this film looking so sharp, and the film itself is one of Renoir's most beautiful evocations of the French landscape.
A great disc: amazing to see this film looking so sharp, and the film itself is one of Renoir's most beautiful evocations of the French landscape.
- zedz
- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm
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- not perpee
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:41 pm
Gaumont told us it was made and premiered in late 1934, so we went with that.
Lovely review at Senses of Cinema.
Lovely review at Senses of Cinema.
- ellipsis7
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
- Location: Dublin
Roger Viry Babel, Christopher Faulkner, Celia Bertiin, & Martin O'Shaugnessy have it as 1934... Alexander Sesonske, Ronald Bergan & Pierre Leprohon opt for 1935...
Raymond Durgnat is more specific - says the film was shot in Summer 1934, and was premiered in Paris in February 1935... While Andre Bazin et al. identifies the first showing as being on February 22nd 1935 at the Cine-Opera and at the Bonaparte...
Raymond Durgnat is more specific - says the film was shot in Summer 1934, and was premiered in Paris in February 1935... While Andre Bazin et al. identifies the first showing as being on February 22nd 1935 at the Cine-Opera and at the Bonaparte...
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Just thought I'd post a quick note thanking Peerpee and his pals for bringing TONI to DVD. I'm a lover of Renoir, but this film had previously eluded me. It instantly became one of my favorite Renoirs -- which makes it one of my favorite films, period. I was also very impressed with MoC's presentation.
I read on another thread that you were considering a MoC disc of NANA, although that appears derailed due to the R1 Lionsgate boxed set. Are any other Renoir films on your radar screen? Any chance for PICNIC ON THE GRASS, for instance?
I read on another thread that you were considering a MoC disc of NANA, although that appears derailed due to the R1 Lionsgate boxed set. Are any other Renoir films on your radar screen? Any chance for PICNIC ON THE GRASS, for instance?
Last edited by ByMarkClark.com on Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:04 pm, edited 2 times in total.
- ellipsis7
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
- Location: Dublin
How about LA NUIT DU CARREFOUR (1932), a superb Renoir, on official release DVD nowhere, not part of the Studio Canal catalogue, described by Godard as "(Renoir's) most mysterious film.... every detail, every second of each shot makes 'La Nuit du Carrefour' the only great French thriller, or rather, the greatest French adventure film of all"...
- ellipsis7
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 1:56 pm
- Location: Dublin
Have a DVDR, copy of RX off air in France I think, kindly via another CC forum member, so it's out there somewhere... No distributor ID or logo at head unfortunately...
Yes BIFI @ Cinematheque Francaise gives following info...
Yes BIFI @ Cinematheque Francaise gives following info...
La Nuit du carrefour (1932) Jean Renoir
Videos
Editeur René Chateau Vidéo
Distributeur Hollywood Boulevard Vidéo
Annee 1996
Version Version originale
Format VHS - SECAM
Pays France
Nb/coul. Noir et Blanc
Durée 71 minutes
- M
- Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:58 pm
- Location: Upper Midwest, US
Love this film, and the presentation on the part of MoC is pitch-perfect. The commentary is somewhat cloying, however, in which aficionados Jones and Lopate reference everything from commedia dell'arte to impressionism to neo-realism to Cassavetes to 'Popular Front films' in order, it would seem, to demonstrate their vast knowledge of everything and all the (tenuous) connections in between. They're a little light on analysis of Toni itself.
Last edited by M on Wed Jan 09, 2008 2:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
- Matt
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm
Thanks for reminding me of my favorite Onion "statshot" of all time:M wrote:...everything from commedia dell'arte to impressionism to neo-realism to Cassavetes to 'Popular Front films' in order, it would seem, to demonstrate their vast knowledge of everything and all the (tenuous) connections in between.