RENOIR

France, 2012, 111 minutes, Colour.
Michel Bouquet, Christa Theret, Vincent Rottiers.
Directed by Gilles Bourdos.

Renoir is a celebrated name in French history, especially of the arts. For those who appreciate the paintings of the older Renoir as well as the films of the younger Renoir, this partial biography will be of interest and aspects of it, fascinating.

This is a leisurely film, capturing the mood of rural France in 1915. There are references to the war and the realisation that it is being waged not far away. In fact, two of the painter’s sons, including the later director, Jean, have served on the front line. But, for the film and its plot, we are in a beautiful French village, a lovely French countryside, a world of visual beauty.

Beauty is an important theme for the film. The artist is surrounded by nature, but is drawn more to portraying the human form, of painting women, and, as he says, his appreciation of flesh. By 1915 Renoir had painted a great number of pictures, and some of them are seen hanging on his wall. There is also the reminder that he painted scenes of ‘lunch on the grass’, with a sequence in the film where the family are at the river, he is painting, and gusts of wind come up tossing cloths and other aspects of the picnic into the water. We also see the artist painting in his studio, especially with his models.

The models have always been important. Renoir has memories of Gabrielle who chose to leave him - but does reappear and joins the family at the end. Renoir has also many memories and paintings of his late wife, the mother of his children, the model to whom he was most devoted.

As the film opens, we see a young girl, Andree cycling towards the Renoir villa. The artist’s wife had recommended her to apply for modelling. She does. She is accepted. Renoir delights in painting her. It is a happy existence except that the rather snobbish staff have a contempt for her.

And then Jean, wounded in the leg, comes back from the war. He is played by the young and versatile actor, Vincent Rottiers years. A patriot, he wants to go back to the front when his wound begins to heal. His father certainly does not want this. Dede (Andree) has fallen in love with him, and he with her, which complicates his emotional life, and the discovery of the possibilities in a relationship with a woman. This leads to some difficulties in the household, the father wanting Dede to return after she has left the house. Jean goes to find her.

This means that for the audience it is principally a portrait of father and son. But it is also a cinema essay in exploration of French art, impressionism, the artist driven to paint.

The family watches cinema, especially Intolerance, released in 1915. The audience is caught up with the magic of cinema and we are given glimpses of the response of Jean who does finally make up his mind that he wants to work in film.

The performances are very strong. 86 year-old Michel Bouquet certainly conveys the character, the genius, aspects of the tortured life of an artist. Vincent Rottiers portrays Jean before he discovers his vocation in life.

There are notes at the end of the film indicating that within four years the older Renoir had died. Jean worked with Dede in film until they parted in 1931. But from the 1930s, with such films as a Marseillaise, The Rules of the Game, the great war, and into the forties when he went to Hollywood and made a number of specialised features, then into the fifties when he returned to France and continued to make masterpieces including his Lola Montez, The Golden Coach and The River. He was to die, celebrated as one of the 20th century’s great directors, in 1979.

1. An entertaining portrait of the painter? French perspective? French pride? Art and heritage?

2. 1916, the countryside, peacefulness, light and beauty, household, the mansion? Glimpses of the war, soldiers on the road? Injuries? The consequences of the war?

3. The importance of the light or the photography? Renoir -like? Painting, posing settings, inside and outside, light and shade, postures, the skin and its tone? The paintings and the paintings in progress? The musical score?

4. Renoir, his reputation, his painting style, with a focus on women, beauty, his models, his wife, models becoming companions? His age – and three more years of his life? His illness, his legs, treatment by doctors? His sons, his perspective on the war? Their injuries? Claude as the young boy around the house and his father’s treatment?

5. Andree, the audience entering the film through her, the bike ride, on the property, the initial encounter with Claude, saying Renoir’s wife had sent her? Meeting the household, the servants and their work? The routines of the household?

6. The interview with Renoir, his decision to hire her, the many sequences posing, natural, naked? Her comment about the money and payment? Interactions with Claude? Clashes with servants, eating in the kitchen, their attitude? Jean’s return from the war, the attraction, concern, the talk? His showing the movie and her being enthralled? And films being part of her
future?

7. Jean, soldier, his wound, return and usefulness, helping his father with the paint, with the paintings? The attraction to Dede? Together, the film, the relationship, his decision to return to the war? The information about what happened later to them?

8. The wounded brother, his father’s attitude? The importance of the three brothers in French cultural history?

9. The situations for the painting, everybody going out, dressing up for the picnics, the water, forest, idyllic – yet the war?

10. The audience sharing the experience of the artist, his work and his vision?