Jean Renoir

Jean Renoir is the great humanist of cinema — a filmmaker so constitutionally incapable of condemning his characters that even his villains tend to emerge with their dignity more or less intact. The son of the painter Auguste Renoir, he inherited something of his father’s sensibility: a belief that the world, observed carefully enough, is worth depicting with warmth rather than judgment.

He worked across the full range of French cinema from the silent era through to the 1960s, but the decade of the 1930s is where the essential Renoir lives. La Grande Illusion, The Crime of Monsieur Lange, La Bête Humaine, The Rules of the Game — four films across four years that between them cover class, war, fate, and the elaborate social performance by which French society organised its self-destruction. The Rules of the Game in particular is one of those films that seems to contain everything: it was booed at its premiere in 1939 and is now on almost every list of the greatest films ever made.

His technique was as humane as his sensibility. He was among the first to use deep focus and location shooting as expressive tools rather than just technical choices, letting scenes breathe and giving peripheral characters room to exist as fully as the protagonists. The camera tends to observe rather than direct — you feel in a Renoir film that things are happening and you happen to be watching rather than being guided through a constructed experience.

He ended up in Hollywood during the war, made some interesting work there, then eventually settled in America while remaining entirely himself. Truffaut, who called him the greatest of all French directors, dedicated his career partly to keeping Renoir’s reputation where it belonged.

Jean Renoir (1894 – 1979)

1925 – Whirlpool of Fate
1926 – Nana
1927 – Charleston Parade
1928 – The Little Match Girl
1928 – Tire au flanc
1931 – La Chienne
1932 – Boudu Saved from Drowning
1932 – La Nuit du carrefour
1933 – Chotard and Company
1934 – Madame Bovary
1935 – Toni
1936 – The Crime of Monsieur Lange
1936 – A Day in the Country
1936 – The Lower Depths
1936 – La Vie est à nous
1937 – La Grande Illusion
1938 – La Bête Humaine
1938 – La Marseillaise
1939 – The Rules of the Game
1941 – Swamp Water
1943 – This Land is Mine
1945 – Diary of a Chambermaid
1945 – The Southerner
1947 – The Woman on the Beach
1951 – The River
1952 – The Golden Coach
1955 – French Cancan
1956 – Elena and Her Men
1959 – Picnic on the Grass
1959 – The Testament of Dr. Cordelier
1962 – The Elusive Corporal
1970 – The Little Theatre of Jean Renoir [TV]

Human Nature and Class Relations: Renoir often delved into the intricacies of human behaviour, especially concerning class distinctions. La Règle du jeu is a key example where the relationships between the upper and lower classes are humorously and critically examined.
Nature’s Influence: The juxtaposition of characters against natural settings was frequent in his films. This highlighted the dichotomous relationship between man’s inherent nature and societal constructs. A Day in the Country showcases this through a fleeting romance set against the backdrop of the French countryside.
War and its Effects: Several of Renoir’s films touched on the futility and horrors of war. La Grande Illusion, for instance, discussed the artificial barriers of nationality and rank during wartime and the shared humanity underneath.
The Theatre of Life: Life’s theatricality, where individuals play roles whether they’re aware of it or not, was another dominant theme. French Cancan uses the backdrop of the theatre to underline life’s performances on and off stage.

Deep Focus Cinematography: Renoir often employed deep focus, which allows both the foreground and background to be in sharp focus. This technique reveals the richness of his scenes and emphasises the interrelation of characters within their environment.
Moving Camera: Renoir frequently used a mobile camera, allowing for long, unbroken takes. This lends a fluidity to his narratives and ensures that the viewer is always engaged and observant.
Naturalistic Performances: Encouraging improvisation and organic reactions, Renoir extracted genuine and understated performances from his actors, which often blurred the lines between reality and fiction.
Interplay of Light and Shadow: Drawing inspiration from Impressionist painters, Renoir’s films often feature dynamic lighting, which brings depth and mood to his stories. Films like La Bête Humaine benefit greatly from this visual ambience.

Realism and Empathy: Unlike some directors who might place characters into distinct categories of ‘good’ or ‘bad’, Renoir portrayed his characters with deep empathy, often blurring moral binaries and showing the grey areas of human behaviour.
Complex Characters: His characters are multifaceted, possessing both strengths and weaknesses. This layering makes them relatable and enhances the realistic portrayal of human nature.
Integration of Setting: Renoir didn’t just use the setting as a backdrop; he integrated it into the story. The environment often plays a significant role in influencing the narrative and the characters, becoming almost a character in itself.
Socio-political Commentary: Through the lens of interpersonal relationships, Renoir subtly critiques societal norms, structures, and politics. This commentary is usually woven seamlessly into the narrative, making it palatable yet thought-provoking for audiences.