Aug 13, 2021
In this episode we cover three films from the period of Jean Renoir's flirtation (or fornication?) with Communism: The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936), The Lower Depths (1936), and La Marseillaise (1938). We discuss how Renoir's depiction of the French Revolution differs from the one familiar to the Anglo-American world, uncover the woman behind the Radical Renoir, and analyze the interaction of class, community, and virtuous violence in the films. And if that sounds heavy, just watch The Crime of Monsieur Lange, we promise you'll have fun. Dark fun. But fun.
Time Codes:
0h 01m 00s: Brief Preamble on Renoir and French Political History
0h 16m 50s: LA MARSEILLAISE (1938) [dir. Jean Renoir]
0h 51m 40s: LES BAS-FONDS aka THE LOWER DEPTHS (1936) [dir. Jean Renoir]
1h 20m 03s: LE CRIME DE MONSIEUR LANGE aka THE CRIME OF MONSIEUR LANGE (1936) [dir. Jean Renoir]
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* Marvel at our meticulously ridiculous Complete Viewing Schedule for the 2020s
* Intro Song: “Sunday” by Jean Goldkette Orchestra with the Keller Sisters (courtesy of The Internet Archive)
* Read Elise’s latest film piece on Preston Sturges, Unfaithfully Yours, and the Narrative role of comedic scapegoating.
* Check out Dave’s new Robert Benchley blog – an attempt to annotate and reflect upon as many of the master humorist’s 2000+ pieces as he can locate – Benchley Data: A Wayward Annotation Project!
*And Read lots of Elise’s Writing at Bright Wall/Dark Room, Cléo, and Bright Lights.*
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