Back to the National Film Theatre for another in the Renoir season. A few days ago I had an e-mail from them offering a refund on the tickets as they were unhappy with the print they would be showing -- bad quality and unreadable subtitles -- although it had come from a French collection and was the best they could find. I decided to go anyhow since I had never seen the film and I was not alone as the cinema seemed more full than usual. And, yes, I'm glad I went. Again I would not rank it amongst Renoir's best -- I have some trouble with his choppy editing -- and it was certainly less faithful to the original Gorky source material than the stupendous Kurosawa version. It was tailored as a star vehicle for the great Jean Gabin who was always an amazing screen prescence and the most naturalistic of actors, long before this acting style came into vogue. He plays a thief living in a doss house with other down and outs, but he longs for love and a straight life. He meets a disgraced Baron played by Louis Jouvet who nearly steals the picture in the acting stakes as a theatrical type who finds grace amongst the fallen. The contrast between the two acting styles is what gives the film its power and I was happy to keep watching.
I was slightly bothered by the last shot showing Gabin and the young girl he loves as hoboes disappearing down the road. This is remarkably similar to Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" which was released the same year and I have absolutely no idea which came first and who stole from whom.
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