Much older now and I have learned so much from it, with my child's mind and now from my grown up angle of vision. Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2019. Behind the walls of their garden is a separate world, protected by the stern Sikh gatekeeper; only Bogey's young playmate climbs the walls. Directed by Jean Renoir • 1951 • France, United Kingdom, India, United States Starring Nora Swinburne, Esmond Knight, Arthur Shields Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature, shot entirely on location in India, is a visual tour de force. It was great to have the documentary of the author available to put relevance to the story. The mistake is to get this because Scorsese thinks it is a masterpiece and one of the most brilliant technicolor films ever made in the same class as The Red Shoes, or because it is a Renoir. Pather Panchali, like Jean Renoir’s The River is set in and was shot on location in India. The River: The Criterion Collection Review by Mark Bourne Martin Scorsese, in this DVD's new onscreen testimonial to Jean Renoir's sumptuous The River, recounts the impact it had on him when his father took him to see the film during its 1951 opening run. “The River had it’s own life, fishes and porpoise, turtles and birds, and people who were born and lived and died on it “ – Older Harriet With The River, Jean Renoir is portraying two Indias. It was the first Technicolor film made in India. Despite these glaring weaknesses, though, there is more to the film than first meets the eye. Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2019, Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2018, always wanted to own this film. Do not expect to see much of India in this film. We also meet Mr. John's daughter Melanie (Radha), whose Hindu mother has died, and Valerie (Adrienne Corri), whose father owns the jute factory that Harriett's father manages. Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2020. Does Capt. "The River" and Michael Powell's "The Red Shoes" are "the two most beautiful color films ever made," Martin Scorsese says in an interview on the new Criterion DVD of the restored print. Harriet has not yet grown up. All three open them and begin to read them while sitting on the steps, and then from within the house comes a baby's cry. Must see movie. Ray was inspired by Renoir's independent filmmaking, and Renoir encouraged him to make the film. All three girls receive letters from Capt. They succeed one another like the film's central metaphor, the living continuum, the river of life. Melanie has an enchanted scene in which she tells a story about the meeting of Prince Krishna and his bride, named Radha. Exhausted following his 1934 take on Madame Bovary, Renoir elected to retreat from the studio … Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2018. The River Jean Renoir's The River is a sort of animated geographic, in color, of life on the Ganges River in West Bengal. "I want to be outstandingly beautiful," she tells her pregnant mother. The River is supposed to be some deep philosophical metaphor for life which flows on with infinite beginnings and endings reminiscent of the George Harrison song. Scenically this film is beautiful and exciting. I never forgot the film and sought it out when movies began to be released on VHS. The budget was small. John. And in a preface for this edition she explains how this classic tale came to be written. Review of The Criterion Collection Blu-ray edition. It becomes clear to young Harriet, despite her crush on the captain, that he has eyes for the red-haired Valerie. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film eloquently contrasts the growing pains of three young women with the immutability of the Bengal river around which their daily lives unfold. To some degree, the girls are in love with Capt. There were no stars, and some of the players had never acted before. Cruise Critic Contributor One of CroisiEurope's older river ships, MS Renoir received a total overhaul in 2018. The center of her world is a cubbyhole under the stairs, where she keeps her poetry and journals, and it is a betrayal when Valerie snatches away a notebook and reads Capt. The lyricism, however, tends to flatten out the story's sparse drama in a way that requires some patience. Delightful Humor… Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature—shot entirely on location in India—is a visual tour de force. This high-quality disc beautifully shows how The River is one of Renoir's best movies. Melanie must have felt the same. This is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist, Universal Cinematic Language: Ben Sharrock on Limbo, The Girlfriend Experience Exists at the Intersection of Sex, Commerce, and Technology, MLB The Show 21 Continues Field Dominance. Renoir's vision of India is wonderfully poetic and delicately observational, very much in the same rhythm as its surroundings. The film is one of the simplest and most beautiful by Jean Renoir (1894-1979), among the greatest of directors. You can still see all customer reviews for the product. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in, Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2020. Despite Jane Austen's insistence that a man like Capt. The River, which was later filmed by Jean Renoir, is a very short and, in parts, sad book, but in many ways typical of Rumer Godden's work: set in India, the main characters children, the theme growing up, and how to be perceived by adults as a person rather than a chil Not everyone we like need be successful, and not everyone we dislike need fail. Films have grown so aggressive and jittery that it takes patience to calm down into one like "The River." Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2021. John because he is the only eligible man in their lives. Ruthe Stein. The budget was small. John, speak with each other, almost in code. THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; 'The River,' Jean Renoir Film Based on Godden's Novel, Opens at Paris Theatre - The New York Times Godden's British expatriates along banks of Ganges. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film eloquently contrasts the growing pains of three young women with the immutability of the … John some of the younger girl's love poems. ORVILLE PRESCOTT The River is Rumer Godden’s beautiful tribute to India and childhood, made into a film by the great French Director Jean Renoir. The River Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature—shot entirely on location in India—is a visual tour de force. The film was financed by an outsider, Kenneth McEldowney, a Hollywood florist who loved Godden's novel. Harriet impatiently wants to be old enough to be visible to Capt. Renoir is not interested in emotional manipulation but in regarding lives as they are lived. John. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Capt. About the only impressive thing about this film is Renoir pulled this off during the Indian civil war following independence from British rule. Martin Scorsese, in which he discusses the first time he saw 'The River' as a child, and traces it's influence on his work as a film director. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. I have been to India and in my opinion the documentary is unimpressive. Presumably for budgetary reasons Renoir employed amateurs in many of the roles, and the timing of their dialo gue scenes is often wooden and artificial. Director Satyajit Ray met Renoir when he traveled to India to shoot The River. It is a great film that can be relished over and over again with increasing appreciation. Is Harriet's father being paternalistic when he "loves" the sight of the laborers bearing their vast bundles of jute into the factory? All will be sorted out in the end -- or perhaps not, which is also the way time passes and lives resolve themselves. Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2015. The cinematography was amazing! Great classical movie! One day both Melanie and Harriet follow Valerie and Capt. Handmade Oil Painting Reproduction of The River by Pierre-Auguste Renoir - BrushWiz.com. John "must be in want of a wife," he is still in want as the film ends. Sometimes four.". Much of the atmosphere flows from Renoir's documentary footage, showing a bazaar, life along the river, annual festivals, boatmen at their work, and Hindus descending flights of stairs both grand and humble to bathe and pray in the water. There are others: The family's nanny, the young Indian man who courts Melanie, the Sikh gatekeeper, the young Indian boy who is Bogey's playmate. Unlike other movies that use exotic locales to enhance their subjects, Jean Renoir's The River, shot on location in Bengal, India, doesn't feel like a distant, detached travelogue. Together, the boys sneak out to the bazaar and watch a snake-charmer, and Bogey finds another snake in the roots of the giant banyan tree right outside the garden -- a tree whose roots fall down from the branches to reach for the ground, and among which gods and spirits are said to live. But in many respects this is an astounding movie, especially in its colors reminiscent of Jean's world-famous painter father, its magical music, and its idea of life as a river-like thing. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Melanie has still not found a place for herself. Excellent direction by Jean Renoir insightful about Hindu culture. Museum Quality Guaranteed + Free Shipping. At the time of the Hindu festival of light, there is a little party at the family home with music from a wind-up phonograph, and each of the older girls asks Capt. I have seen The River three times now, and on each occasion I have come to appreciate it more. The issues are there, but they are not called into focus, and the life Harriet shows us is the only one she knows. Certainly all of their lives stand apart from India; we never hear a conversation between Melanie and her Indian suitor, or between Bogey and his Indian playmate, and the nanny is limited to nannyisms; she is not even given the Indian titleayahby which all nannies were known. Editorial Reviews. There are subdued issues here involving colonialism and racism. Some will agree, some will not. "I'm a stranger wherever I go," he says, and she replies quietly, "Where will you find a country of one-legged men?" "The River" is available on DVD, as are these other titles in the Great Movies series: Renoir's "Rules of the Game" and "Grand Illusion," Powell's "The Red Shoes" and Satyajit Ray's "Apu Trilogy" and "The Music Room.". By the mid-’30s, the French director had spent the last decade making a name for himself, churning out more than a film per year, including the critically-lauded La Chienne (1931) and Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932). John to dance before he finally settles in a corner with Valerie. No other characters appear or are discussed; that he is sad and detached they can overlook. John out into a grove, where they kiss. The story was very good too. This movie is, in my opinion, the most accurate movie depiction of Rumer Godden's work. The native India is one of mystique and mystery to a westerner, but … After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. Its like looking into a lost time. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, who was born in India and lived there many years, it remembers her childhood seen through the eyes of a young girl named Harriet (Patricia Walters), who falls in love with the new neighbor. The River d. Jean Renoir (1951) Spine: #276 Blu-ray Release Date: April 21, 2015 Screen captures below are taken from The Criterion Collection Blu-ray disc, but resolution has been reduced from 1920x1080 to 900x506 and slightly compressed. Shot on location in 50s India. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. A new print of "The River" plays Feb. 24-March 3 at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport. He is Capt. Here is my reading experience: I am hurtling down a river, filled with adrenaline, desperate to flip the page when I am stopped in my tracks by a sentence, describing perfectly the sky or forest or the feelings of Wynn or Jack. And the three girls jump up and rush into the house, the letters fluttering forgotten to the ground behind them. The acting by the three young girls coming of age is charming. There were no stars, and some of the players had never acted before. The nanny emerges to announce: "It's a girl!" The movie is a simple coming of age film of 3 adolescent girls lovesick for a morose war veteran, embedded in a semi-documentary of the sights, sounds and customs of India. John has come to live in India, he tells the Anglo-Indian Melanie, because with one leg he feels like an outsider. Watch it for curiosity reasons. Although the film covers one year, the impression is of an endless summer day during which the girls play and write in their journals, observe the flow of life outside their gates, and are fascinated by Capt. Scenes of the real India outside the compound are mostly in long-shot. The area that was filmed will never look that way ever again! "The River" is like an Ozu film in the way it regards life without trying to wrest it into a plot. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. John. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film eloquently contrasts the growing pains of three young women with the immutability of the holy Bengal River, around which their daily lives unfold. The extras are of interest because they detail the development of this misguided film. Its most dramatic moment takes place offscreen. I suppose some people don't appreciate this movie, because it's not made in Hollywood style. Unlike other movies that use exotic locales to enhance their subjects, Jean Renoir's The River, shot on location in Bengal, India, doesn't feel like a distant, detached travelogue.Renoir's vision of India is wonderfully poetic and delicately observational, very much in the same rhythm as its surroundings. Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature—shot entirely on location in India—is a visual tour de force. John (Thomas E. Breen), an American who lost a leg in the war and now has come to live with his cousin, Mr. John (Arthur Shields). Why is this? Renoir's way of bringing his story to a conclusion is a form of understated poetry. The underlying theme (that time like the river must be accepted whatever it brings) is deftly handled (kudos to Renoir). We meet Harriet's family: Her parents, her three sisters, her brother Bogey. The story itself is ludicrous acted by mostly amateur actors with embarrassing stilted language. About the only impressive thing about this film is Renoir pulled this off during the Indian civil war following independence from British rule. On the DVD, he says it reaches him more powerfully than "Rules of the Game," considered Renoir's masterpiece. The River is supposed to be some deep philosophical metaphor for life which flows on with infinite beginnings and endings reminiscent of the George Harrison song. Renoir insisted on filming it on location in India, which he did with his nephew Claude Renoir as cameraman (and young Satyajit Ray as an assistant director). Nothing is really finished at the end of "The River." It is still a gorgeous movie, one that I will purchase to revisit from time to time. While the acting in The River is, in many cases, somewhat wooden (which is why Renoir wound up including a great deal of documentary footage in the finished product), the emotions harnessed by the film are not. The River is an exquisite adventure. She is a stranger, too, because of her mixed race. John shy away from romance with Melanie because she is not white? During the course of the year, the girls fall in love with the same unavailable man, there is a death and a birth, and the river continues to flow. The film is not constructed around high melodrama, but its deepest feelings are expressed when the two outsiders, Melanie and Capt. Jan. 15, 2016 Updated: Jan. 15, 2016 5:55 p.m. Facebook Twitter Email. A lthough Jean Renoir’s The River doesn’t feature Bengal tigers or elephants, it rather unthinkingly proffers the cold hand of colonialism as it intrudes upon the warm terrain of the Ganges River in India, sometime following WWII. I saw the movie for the first time when Scorsese's personal 35mm copy played at the Virginia Film Festival some years ago; when I mentioned it to him, he said, "I watch that film three times a year. The actress Radha was a dancer, and her character's story leads into a dance scene that allows some of the color and mystery of Indian religion to enter the isolation of the British family's compound. Much of the atmosphere flows from Renoir's documentary footage, showing a bazaar, life along the river, annual festivals, boatmen at their work, and Hindus descending flights of stairs both grand and humble to bathe and pray in the water. There he worked with mixed success until, by the time he made "The River," he was almost unemployable. The River is definitely of its time and its attitudes towards women are dated, yet it is a work that transcends time and place to capture universal emotions. Transports you into another world. Harriet's narration is spoken by an adult voice; we understand these events take place around 1946. The British family lives apart from this India, and knows it. What she does not notice is that he is also attracted to his half-Indian cousin Melanie, and she to him. I saw the theatrical release with my Mom in the fifties. Is it possible that Jean Renoir predicted the Italian neorealism movement? This page works best with JavaScript. Renoir, son of the impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir, directed his first film in 1924 and was considered a grand master when he fled the Nazis and moved to Hollywood in 1941. India itself is on the brink of independence and partition, but Harriet is on the brink of adolescence, and that is much more important to her, as perhaps is natural. The River is the eighth Jean Renoir film I have shown in this series—more than any other director. The River (French: Le Fleuve) is a 1951 American Technicolor drama romance film directed by Jean Renoir. Thank you, Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2014. It was filmed in India. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. I was about 8 years old, living in a basically homogeneous neighborhood, but my inner voice asked questions about racial differences, class (caste but didn't realize it then)and empire. Renoir's 'The River' DVD review. "It was my first kiss," Harriet remembers, "but received by another." 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