Whirlpool of Fate

Jean Renoir's first feature film was the silent picture "La Fille de l'eau", the English Translation being "Whirlpool of Fate", made in 1924. As I'm watching it, I'm finding it to be one of those Kitchen Sink-type movies that first-time directors are apt to produce - it's fast-paced, melodramatic, and it covers a range of tones and emotions. And yet, having already seen a bit of his later work, I can sense a very definite Renoir-ness about it: the colorful cast of characters, the bits of humor stitched into the titles, the setup and stylization of many of the shots...

There's a beautiful one at the beginning that shows the barge coming up a canal. The camera is stationary on the bank of the canal while the barge moves through the frame from left to right. Meanwhile, one of the male characters is walking along the top of the barge from right to left, which means he's basically staying in the same place in the frame while the barge glides beneath him. It's really beautiful, and a neat idea for an establishing shot. 

Stay tuned for a complete review!

Pierre Auguste

You should always start at the beginning. 

In Jean Renoir's case, we'll go even further back. His father was the Impressionist painter Pierre Auguste Renoir, born in 1841 in Limoges (a city known for its enamels and porcelain). Though he was a leader of the Impressionists and a close friend of Monet, etc., he had a lot admiration for Renaissance and Baroque artists as well. For instance, one of his favorite painters was Rococo artist François Boucher, whose work was filled with the sort of relaxed, charming female nudes that would come to define a lot of Renoir's output. Renoir's respect for the artists of the past - and a proclivity for humans subjects - set him apart from the Monets and the Cezannes of the 1880s. 

It seems, looking over various works he made, that the charm of humanity and a love of life - divorced from a lot of overt philosophy - were the themes that truly inspired him to paint. His personal life was profoundly stable, as well. After painting Aline Charigot in Luncheon of the Boating Party, with whom he already had a son, they were married in 1890. Jean was born in 1894. 

The image above is from On the Terrace, 1881. 

This blog is all about Jean Renoir. His reputation is right up there with Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Sergei Eisenstein, etc., as one of the finest film artists of all time. He's the son of Impressionist painter Pierre Auguste Renoir. What else should I mention about him at this point?

Ah, yes, I haven't seen much of his work at all. Which leads me to this blog's raison d'etre: my discovery of the great man and his great work. I'm going to start at the beginning of his career, watch his films, read his books, and attempt to go all the way through his filmography.

Is he truly one of the world's greatest moviemakers? I'll refrain from saying anything at this time. It would be a bad idea to make a blanket statement like that before exploring the work of any artist - it would taint the process. However, I'm not sure I'd call him "great" at this point, anyway. I've only seen two of his films, and those were seen under the advance awareness of their monumental reputations; who can watch Grand Illusion or The Rules of the Game for the first time and not have huge expectations? I can't say they delivered. I chalk my underwhelming response to hype caused by greatest-of-all-time lists and college film classes. So this new exploration I'm about to undertake is an attempt to give Renoir his fair shake.

I've got three main objectives:
1) To explore Renoir's films, reading and viewing as much as I can
2) To create an online resource for anyone interested in the man, his work, and where his films can be seen
3) To start a discussion of Renoir and his films

That's where the followers of this blog play a part. This isn't intended to be the self-absorbed ramblings of a film lover - it's a public space, and comments are invited!

So wish me luck. I'm notorious for starting projects and never finishing them - but I have a feeling this one will be different.

For now, I'll answer one last question. Why Renoir? I suppose the answer lies in his reputation, and my general lack of experience with his films. I've always been drawn to the obscure, and that's pretty much what Renoir is to most Americans: an obscurity, one of the names-you've-never-heard-of on film critics' lists. I don't know that this will ever change, but I'm determined to make a difference for myself.