WOMAN ON THE BEACH

US, 1947, 71 minutes, Black and white.
Joan Bennett, Robert Ryan, Charles Bickford.
Directed by Jean Renoir.

Woman on the Beach is a film noir by French master director Jean Renoir. After his career in France during the 1930s with such masterpieces as The Grand Illusion, The Marseillaise, The Human Beast, The Rules of the Game, he spent the war years in the United States. He made several films in Hollywood including Swamp Water, This Land is Mine, The Southerner, The Diary of a Chambermaid. The Woman on the Beach was his last American film (and suffered some interference by executives at RKO).

Film noir was not exactly Renoir’s field. However, this brief film is atmospheric, has Joan Bennett as a woman of ambiguous morals, married to a blind artist played by Charles Bickford. A marine takes a job as coast guard after the war and gets drawn into the emotional tangles between husband and wife.

Renoir was to return to France in the early 50s and make a number of significant films including The Testament of Doctor Cordelier, Picnic on the Grass, The Vanishing Corporal.

1. An interesting and entertaining brief thriller? Psychological thriller of the '40s?

2. The work of Jean Renoir: his classics in France, his work in the United States? His French style in Hollywood? Portrayal of character, emotional tensions? Insight? The European style of his cinema treatment of the emotional triangle?

3. Black and white photography, location photography? A piece of Americana ? but the Frenchman's point of view: the isolated community, the war, the torpedoing of the ship? The human interest? The universal themes: basic drives? The 'film noir'? The more positive ending?

4. The brevity of the running time and its effectiveness, the fade-ins and fade-outs isolating the scenes? The persuasiveness of the drama in the brief running time?

5. The stars and their screen presence? The focus on the stars: their personalities, close-ups, expressions, poses, tableaux? The indicating of tensions during close-ups? The stars in the offbeat locations? The black and white photography and its surrealism: the beach, Scott riding the horse along the beach, the empty hulk, the houses, the cliffs? The dreams?

6. The importance of the opening dream: the sea, drowning, death? Scott lost underwater? The vision of the woman? The terror of the dream? The woman in the second dream being Peggy? The indications of madness, the psyche, terror, the purging of terror via dream? Via reality? The dream indicating Scott's relationship with Peggy?

7. Scott and Robert Ryan's presence: the introduction to him, the dream and his terror, going to the doctor, the war experience, the torpedo? His waiting to be discharged? His responsibilities? Relationship with Wernecke? The work of the Coast Guard? The men in his command? Their support in his sickness? His fear, fear of madness? An American type?

8. His riding along the beach, the passing by the hulk of the sunken ship? His relationship with Eve ? his impulsiveness, the proposal, changing his mind? The final encounter and the farewell? His confusion? Friendship with the Werneckes and Mrs. Wernecke supporting Eve?

9. Peggy and her sitting on the beach, watching Scott? Like a statue? The collecting of the firewood? Scott's fascination with her? His stopping, helping her, lighting the fire? The encounter with Todd and his being caught? His embarrassment? Todd's offer of friendship? The meal and Todd tormenting Peggy and Scott? His liking Todd? Interest in the paintings? The walks? His not believing that Todd was blind? The cliff sequence and Todd's fall, the repercussions? His confession? The bond between the two men? His reaction to Todd's hitting Peggy? The boat ride, falling overboard, Todd saving him? The burning of the house? Scott being healed?

10. Peggy and the significance of the title, the credits, the poses as she sat by the hulk? The woman of the dream? Mystery, gradual revelation ? and that she seemed to be a tramp? Her inviting Scott, her fascination with him, the fire in the house, introduction to Todd? Her story ? and the social world of New York and her enjoying it? The clash with Todd and his blind?

11. Todd and his blindness, his story as an artist, his reaction to his blindness, the artist and his need to see and express? Passion and bitterness? Relationship to Peggy? His provocative style? Suspicions? His friendship with Scott? The shaving sequence etc.? The meals? His walk along the cliff? His fall? His reaction to Scott's confession? The boat trip and his saving Scott? His showing him the paintings? The violent reaction to Peggy? The decision to burn the house and the paintings? The purging reaction and the future with Peggy?

12. The isolated situation, the sea and the land, the war, reality and unreality, dreams, American guards, the small town and its life, boats etc.? The European parallels ? and Renoir's treatment ? American story European style?

13. The life of the town, the factory, Eve, her brother, the dance in the town, socialising? The atmosphere of reality for the central triangle?