Jean Renoir

[Scharphedin2]

Jean Renoir (1894-1979)



"...(I discovered) there are no white horses, any
more than there are black horses. There are dark
grey horses, light grey horses, dark chestnut
horses, and light bay horses; in short there isn't a
single horse that doesn't have a few hairs of another
colour. Cliches do not exist in nature or in life. So
there shouldn't be any in my films..." ~ Jean Renoir


Filmography

Une vie sans joie (Backbiters) (co-directed w. Albert Dieudonne, 1924) Studio Canal (Box Set, R2 FR)

La Fille de l'eau (Whirlpool of Fate) (1925) Lion's Gate (R1) / Studio Canal (R2 FR)

Nana (1926) Lion's Gate (R1) / Arte (R2 FR) / Studio Canal (R2 FR)

Sur un air de Chaleston (Charleston Parade) (1927) Lion's Gate (R1) / Studio Canal (R2 FR)

Marquitta (1927)

La Petite marchande d'allumettes (The Little Match Girl) (1928) Lion's Gate (R1) / Studio Canal ( R2 FR)

Tire-au-flanc (The Sad Sack) (1928) Studio Canal (Box Set, R2 FR)

Le Tournoi dans la cite (The Tournament) (1928)

Le Bled (1929)

On purge bebe (1931) Studio Canal (Box Set, R2 FR)

La Chienne (The Bitch) (1931) Studio Canal (Box Set, R2 FR)

Chotard et Cie (Chotard and Company) (1932)

La Nuit du carrefour (Night at the Crossroads) (1932)

Boudu sauve des eaux (Boudu Saved from Drowning) (1932) Criterion / Optimum (R2 UK)

Madame Bovary (1933) Studio Canal (R2 FR)

Toni (1935) Masters of Cinema (R2 UK)

Partie de campagne (A Day in the Country) (1936) BFI (R2 UK) / Studio Canal (R2 FR)

La Crime de Monsieur Lange (The Crime of Monsieur Lange) (1936) Studio Canal (R2 FR)

La Vie est a nous (The People of France)) (segment, 1936) Doriane Films

Les Bas-fonds (The Lower Depths)) (1936) Criterion

La Grande Illusion (The Grand Illusion)) (1937) Criterion / Optimum (Jean Renoir Collection, R2 UK) / Studio Canal (R2 FR)

La Marseillaise (The Marseillaise)) (1938) Lion's Gate (R1) / Optimum (Jean Renoir Collection, R2 UK) / Studio Canal (R2 FR)

La Bete humaine (The Human Beast)) (1938) Criterion / Optimum (Jean Renoir Collection, R2 UK) / Studio Canal (R2 FR)

La Regle du jeu (The Rules of the Game) (1939) Criterion / BFI (R2 UK) / Editions Montparnasse (R2 FR)

Swamp Water) (1941) 20th Century Fox (R2 UK)

This Land Is Mine) (1943) Editions Montparnasse (R2 FR)

Salute to France) (1944)

The Southener) (1945) VCI (R1)

The Diary of a Chambermaid) (1946) VellaVision (R2 ES)

The Woman on the Beach) (1947) Editions Montparnasse (R2 FR)

The River (1951) Criterion

Le Carosse d'or (The Golden Coach) (1953) Criterion

French Cancan (Only the French Can) (1954) Criterion

Elena et les homes (Paris Does Strange Things) (1956) Criterion / Optimum (Jean Renoir Collection, R2 UK)

Le Testament du Docteur Cordelier (Experiment in Evil) (TV, 1959) Lion's Gate (R1) / Optimum (Jean Renoir Collection, R2 UK) / Studio Canal (R2 FR)

Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe (Lunch on the Grass) (1959) Studio Canal / Optimum (Jean Renoir Collection, R2 UK) / Studio Canal (R2 FR)

Le Caporal épinglé (The Elusive Corporal) (1962) Lion's Gate (R1) / Optimum (Jean Renoir Collection, R2 UK) / Studio Canal (R2 FR)

Le Petit théâtre de Jean Renoir (The Little Theatre of Jean Renoir) (TV, 1970)


Forum Discussions

La Bete humaine (Criterion)

Boudu Saved from Drowning (Criterion)

Grand Illusion (Criterion)

Jean Renoir : 3-Disc Collector's Edition (Lion's Gate)

The Lower Depths (Criterion)

The River (Criterion)

The Rules of the Game (Criterion)

Stage and Spectacle: Three Films by Jean Renoir (Criterion)

Toni (MoC)

New 35mm Print of Rules of the Game at Film Forum


Web Resources

An Archive of the (Political) Unconscious (Christopher Faulkner, Canadian Journal of Communication)

BIFI

Jean Renoir Resource Centre (Steve Masters' site with exhaustive DVD listings of Renoir's films)

Online Archive of California List of the archived Renoir papers 1915-1987)

Senses of Cinema


Books

Boudu Saved From Drowning by Richard Boston (BFI Film Classics)

Jean Renoir by Andre Bazin (Da Capo Press)

Jean Renoir by Martin O'Shaughnessy (Manchester University Press)

Jean Renoir - A Conversation with his Films 1894-1979 by Christopher Faulkner (Taschen)

Jean Renoir - the French Films 1924-1939 by Alexander Sesonske (Harvard University Press)

Jean Renoir Interviews Ed. by Bert Cardullo (university of Mississippi Press)

My Life And My Films by Jean Renoir (Da Capo Press)

Renoir My Father by Jean Renoir (New York Review Books Classics)

___________________________________________________________________
Thanks to Ellipsis7 for providing a lot of the information for this Forum Resources Thread.

(If you plan to purchase online, please use the links at the bottom of the forum to help keep this place going)

[iangj]

The November Cahiers du Cinema has ads for: Jean Renoir's NANA, from Arte: restored version, presumably no English subtitles, but for readers-of-French French intertitles will work fine.

Philippe Garrel's LE VENT DE LA NUIT & ELLE A PASSE TANT D'HEURES SOUS LES SUNLIGHTS: in the Cahiers "2 Films De" series, others of which have come with Eng subtitles. Anyone know for sure?

[Arn777]

Sadly no English subtitles on these 2 Garrel films. It's a real shame because Le vent de la nuit is one of the most beautiful films of the past ten years.

[htdm]

Has anyone seen the new release of Nana or the Louise Brooks Box? Amazon.fr said that Gaumont was releasing the Renoir title, so if it's anything like their previous versions of Fantomas or El Dorado, we should be in for a real treat!

[Arn777]

Nana is from Arte not Gaumont. I haven't seen any reviews yet, but I believe it was recently restaured.

[ellipsis7]

Has anyone seen the Gaumont 3 disc DVD set containing three silents and the first talkie by Jean Renoir? Any comments on quality and comprehension (I know they do not have Eng subs, but have some understanding of French)...

Coffret Jean Renoir 3 DVD : La Chienne / Tire au flanc / On purge Bébé/Catherine

[Arn777]

I got La Chienne and On purge Bebe with newspaper Le Monde last month, I believe it's identical to the Gaumont set, only specifically packaged for Le Monde. Picture quality is ok, more print damage on On purge bebe, but it's a pretty rare film and Renoir first talkie.

[amateurist]

A review and screenshots from the Renoir DVD set here. Incidentally, of the films in this set, Catherine/Une vie sans joie and Tire-au-flanc are silents while On purge bébé and La Chienne are talkies. If you're interested in this set, you should be even more tempted by Arte's deluxe DVD of Renoir's Nana, of which a fine review here.

StudioCanal has announced a DVD, to arrive in June, of Renoir's silents La Petite marchande d'allumettes, Sur un air de Charleston, and La Fille de l'eau.

[ellipsis7]

This is really great... They're not appearing yet on www.amazon.fr and I'm having a problem tracking this release down... Maybe a delay? Later he added: Tum-ti-tum..... Found it on the Studio Canal site (where else?) but still no cover up... Oh dear...

LA FILLE DE L'EAU (THE WHIRLPOOL OF FATE) screening in new print as part of Cannes Classics...

- The Whirlpool of Fate by Jean Renoir (1925) restored by the Cinémathèque française and Canal. Same obviously to the upcoming DVD...

I'll probably get hold of those both. Thanks. In the book 'Renoir on Renoir', LA CHIENNE is cited as his first talkie, yet ON PURGE BEBE is listed in the filmography before it, hence my uncertainty... The DVDToile review explains ON PURGE BEBE was a quickie project made while production was underway on LA CHIENNE... Anyway all 5 movies are unlikely to make the CC anytime soon, so these editions look good... Nice set of pages on the ARTE website for NANA... And the trailer of the restored film on this page...

I've received and watched these once... Really reccomended despite lack of Eng subs... NANA beautifully restored with a new orchestral score for all 2 1/2hours of frenetic drama... Foreshadows FRENCH CAN-CAN & ELENA AND HER MEN...

In the other 4 film set... TIRE LE FLANC demonstrates an astounding virtuosity with moving camera and lens, and deft humour... Foreshadows LA GRAND ILLUSION with its views of military life, and introduces MICHEL SIMON ... LA CHIENNE is sublime, and together with BOUDU SAVED BY DROWNING (not in the set) cements the Renoir style and Simon's reputation...

CATHERINE the early film, not directed but produced by Renoir and starring his then wife Catherine Hessling (Nana), only serves to demonstrate that Renoir's genius as a director was lacking from this film, but readily apparent in all the others...

[ellipsis7]

The Renoir silent collection including FILLE D'EAU is showing on their site for June release... This is the page...... That Canal Plus Renoir Silents release pushed back to Jan 2006...

[Arn777]

The Renoir 12 DVDs box was released yesterday, done by Studio Canal and the French Cinémathèque. Contains a mixture of already released films and previously unreleased films:

La Fille de l'eau, 1924,
Sur un air de Charleston, 1926,
Nana, 1926
La Petite Marchande d'allumettes, 1927
Madame Bovary, 1933
Le Crime de Monsieur Lange, 1935
Partie de campagne, 1936
La Grande Illusion, 1937
La Marseillaise, 1938
La Bête humaine, 1938
Le déjeuner sur l'herbe, 1959
Le Testament du Docteur Cordelier, 1959
Le Caporal épinglé, 1962
+ Documentaire Cinéastes de notre temps « Renoir le patron », 1967, réalisé par Jacques Rivette.

The Cinémathèque just re-opened after a move across town and starts with a Renoir(s) exhibitions and they are publishing a book.

[Steven H]

There's a listing for Jean Renoir's Woman On The Beach at cdjapan.co.jp relatively low priced at $29.48. Truncated as it is, I'm glad this film will be available. There's also a listing for his The Southerner for those looking for a likely upgrade from the Alpha video release.

By the way, can anyone tell me the quality of the Canal R2 France release of Picnic On The Grass?

[peerpee]

By the way, can anyone tell me the quality of the Canal R2 France release of Picnic On The Grass?

Quality is sublime - but no English subtitles

[Steven H]

Quality is sublime - but no English subtitles

I practically have the dialogue memorized. I've been wearing a VHS copy of that film out for a while now (a classic, along with The River, the best of late Renoir). Thanks for the information.

[peerpee]

Yes can recommend the Studio Canal Dejeuner - this time around they got the color values right, and they have too with the Rossellini Prise de Pouvoir Pour Louis XIV (VERY recommended.)

The Rossellini is MK2 isn't it?

[Narshty]

17th April, people. No extras mentioned yet.

[ellipsis7]

Renoir's Hollywood debut feature SWAMP WATER (1941) comes to R2 UK DVD courtesy of 20CFX on 17th April...

Renoir himself referred to the studio as 15th Century Fox, reflecting some of the tension inherent in the conjunction of European auteur with production line Hollywood studio (under the control of interfering mogul Zanuck)...

As single discs, NANA is available in an Arte edition packaged with the script (in French) - lovely transfer of restored print and freshly composed soundtrack... LA MARSEILLAISE is available from Studio Canal - HD transfer of restored print - again no Eng subs...

And on 10th April Studio Canal release this single disc of silents as in the boxset...

[BrightEyes23]

Does anyone have this? Does it have English subs? And what about this solo item?

[BrightEyes23]

As single discs, NANA is available in an Arte edition packaged with the script (in French) - lovely transfer of restored print and freshly composed soundtrack... LA MARSEILLAISE is available from Studio Canal - HD transfer of restored print - again no Eng subs...

And on 10th April Studio Canal release this single disc of silents as in the boxset...

any chance those silents will have english intertitles? although i wonder if they'd even be necessary.

[Kinsayder]

There is a Japanese edition of Madame Bovary:... though I'm expecting (well, hoping) that Studio Canal will eventually do a separate release of this title, perhaps when they've shifted all the copies of their "limited edition" Renoir boxset.

Also a 2-disc re-issue of the Montparnasse La Regle du jeu... which has a lot more extras than the edition reviewed here by DVD Beaver... It's not clear whether Montparnasse have done any further restoration on it, though they do seem to have added a 5.1 audio track. Oh, and it looks like they've taken off the English subtitles...

[ellipsis7]

Out 1st March from Editions Montparnasse is R2/PAl DVD of Renoir's final American picture (for RKO) THE WOMAN ON THE BEACH (LA FEMME SUR LA PLAGE)...

Just to report the disc of Renoir silents is absolutely superb... Luminous crisp image of three absolutely wonderful early films... The restorations have done a great job on these films from the 1920's - quality on par with the NANA SE...

The intertitles are all in French, but it doesn't take a genius to translate... Ironically the elements which were restored for LA FILLE D'EAU had original English intertitles, which have now been replaced and translated into French for the restored version!...

Doriane Films have a DVD (no Eng subs) of Renoir et al.'s PCF documentary and drama LA VIE EST A NOUS(1936) ... Source material is damaged but serviceable... Very interesting and powerful piece, not least the sequence of Hitler giving a speech and dubbed with a barking dog...

Can be bought direct or via amazon.fr marketplace...

[Telstar]

Ironically the elements which were restored for LA FILLE D'EAU had original English intertitles, which have now been replaced and translated into French for the restored version!...

you just gotta love that sort of exquisite perversity. I speak barely three words of French but I'll probably buy this anyway...

[Tommaso]

Does anyone have the French DVD of Jean Renoir's "Dejeuner sur l'herbe"?

It seems that this is the only version available at the moment (Criterion, where are you??), so I'd like to know about the quality and, even more importantly, does it have any subs? The film really intrigues me after having seen the excerpts on that documentary that is on Criterion's "Elena and her men" dvd.

[Tommaso]

Okay, many thanks! I will get it, then, although my French really is not very good. I think what intrigues me about it is that he made it on his family's country seat, and I'm just keen to see the landscape that his father painted... the few excerpts on the documentary looked very great visually.

[ellipsis7]

Of course Renoir was using his TV like multicamera technique for this film... There's no subs on the Studio Canal disc , but it's not too hard to follow, and some sequences are simply sublime, the theme prescient, the rational, controlled and technocratic (artificial insemination rather than sex) versus nature, freedom and a roll in the grass... It's not entirely succesful, but is notable for being shot in his father's old estate, Les Collettes, and thus pointing up themes and relationships between the work of father and son... I got my copy free with Telerama issue on the Renoir-Renoir exhibition in Paris - there was fruitful juxtaposition in the Cinametheque of sequences from DEJEUNER SUR L'HERBE and Renoir Sr.'s paintings...