To complement the Renoir season at the National Film Theatre, FilmFour have been playing two of his later and lesser known films; I'd seen them both before, but thought they deserved another look. This one was by far the more enjoyable. It has a multinational cast and felt dubbed, but in fact Renoir shot English, French and Italian versions; this obviously was the former (as is the one they are showing at the NFT). It tells of a travelling Commedia dell'Arte troupe playing to the natives in a backwater South American town and captures the comraderie of the artists, even when they are down on their luck. It focuses on their lead Columbine, played by Anna Magnani, and the three suitors she attracts. She is a fine actress and has a strong go at this role, but she is frankly some twenty years too old for the part. The best part of the movie is the absolutely glorious colour photography.
Against this we have "The River" (1951) which is famous for being one of the most beautiful colour films ever, but you would never know it from the print FilmFour showed which looked like a washed out old rag. I was furious. I assume the print which has just been re-released and which has been attracting largely positive reviews is in better condition. The film itself is a loving look at an English family's life in India as recalled by the writer some years later, but the action is more than slow and much of the acting leaves a great deal to be desired too. All in all a disappointment.
No comments:
Post a Comment