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Film: Boudu Saved from Drowning
Release date: 4th April 2011
Certificate: PG
Running time: 82 mins
Director: Jean Renoir
Starring: Michel Simon, Charles Granval, Marcelle Hainia, Severine Lerczinska, Jean Daste
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Park Circus
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: France
With its 80th anniversary fast approaching, Jean Renoir's classic social comedy Boudu Saved From Drowning (1932) gets the restoration and re-release treatment on Blu-ray, courtesy of Park Circus.
Feeling despondent after losing his dog, Boudu (Michel Simon), an unkempt and curmudgeonly vagrant, decides to curtail his miserable existence by throwing himself into the Seine. A large crowd is drawn to his attempted suicide, but none choose to intervene save for local bookseller Édouard Lestingois (Charles Granval), who sees the whole thing from his apartment window. He dives into the river and fishes Boudu out, much to the relief of the onlookers – championing Lestingois as a brave hero – and much to the annoyance of Boudu.
Lestingois decides to become the tramp's benefactor; offering him food, new clothes and a warm bed. Boudu shows his gratitude by frequently challenging the manners and civility of the middle-class household in which he is a guest with arrogant and tactless behaviour. The bookseller's wife Emma (Marcelle Hainia) and housemaid/secret mistress Chloe (Sévérine Lerczinska) dislike Boudu's disruptive cantankerousness, however, Édouard is still determined to tame him, but even he has his limits...
Although it was remade by Hollywood as the commercially Successful Down And Out In Beverly Hills in the mid-80s, it’s nice to see that Renoir's original screen adaption of René Fauchois' play Boudu Sauvé des Eaux still holds an incredible and charming freshness after eight decades and, as a result, has aged rather well. Michel Simon is one of cinema's all-time great loveable oafs, playing tactless without resorting to playing dumb or stupid. It’s a skill that he went on to perfect in Jean Vigo's final film L'Atalante (1934).
The rest of the cast do well to not be overshadowed by Simon's attention grabbing hijinks. Granval excels as the good Samaritan with a shady secret, unable to perform his night time visitations to the maid's quarters because of a restless Boudu trying to adjust to sleeping indoors. The two principle female players also hold up well to Simon's buffoonery, eventually being seduced by his forthright charm and spontaneity; creating an interesting dynamic shift in time for the third act. The characters overall, feel pretty convincing and rounded - the middle-class household don't come across as being overly stuck up and stilted, nor is Boudu perceived as a caricature pauper.
Renoir takes great pleasure in exploring the double standards generated by the class divide. An early scene where a woman encourages her young daughter to help those less fortunate by offering a little money, only to be met with surly ungratefulness, foreshadows his relationship with the bookseller's household. On the flip side, Boudu is met with similar hostility when he asks a policeman if he can help find his lost dog. The policeman tells the tramp to be on his way only to then bend over backwards for a wealthy woman with a similar plight. Renoir's restrained use of music is also interesting, opting to use a minimal arrangement consisting of a lone flute (played by one of the characters); eschewing the then common practice of having ubiquitous overture and incidental music playing throughout almost every scene.
Also, it’s always nice to see that a comedy from a bygone era is still able to put a smile on one's face eighty years later. The sense of humour on display, whilst interestingly quirky, may not appeal to those who enjoy a more modern, subversive edginess to their comedy, but some humour is timeless. In fact, Boudu Saved From Drowning plays out like a sit-com in places – decades before such a thing existed – laying the groundwork for so many fish-out-of-water and mismatched partnership based comedies that would subsequently arise. On the other hand, new nostalgia based humour has been inadvertently created due to the generational gap. For example, Boudu is scolded by Lestingois' wife because he is about to leave the building without shining his shoes – would this be the case today? So, if anything, Boudu Saved From Drowning acts a bizarre time capsule, reminding future generations just how much standards have slipped over the course of the last century.
As for the Blu-ray presentation, Park Circus have done a commendable job. This is quite easily the best that Boudu Saved From Drowning has ever looked, home video or otherwise. Detail is pretty good for a film of this vintage, although it frequently shows up some of the soft photography scattered throughout, but not detrimentally so. Also, the occasional interstitial exterior shot appears underexposed, but again, this is due to the shortcomings of the original source and not necessarily the disc. On the upside, the print that Park Circus has chosen to use is very clean and free of any noteworthy damage. The audio is also pretty crisp, making Boudu Saved From Drowning worth the upgrade for those so inclined.
Boudu Saved From Drowning is a great example of vintage, pre-Hollywood Renoir. Although it has been surpassed and overshadowed many times since it was first released, even now in the 21st century, its charm and humour still resonates. It makes for an interesting look back, reminding you of why people fell in love with cinema in the first place. MP
1930s comedy starring Michel Simon as Boudu, a tramp saved from drowning in the Seine by a wealthy bookseller, who provides him shelter in his bourgeois household.
The unruly vagrant causes havoc in this civilised environment, seducing the bookseller's wife and his mistress, as well as striking it lucky in the lottery.
Having brought anarchy to the middle class family, he eventually begins to pine for his old life and decides to return to the freedom of the river.
Directed by Jean Renoir, and remade in Hollywood as Down And Out In Beverly Hills (1986).
Film: Boudu Saved From Drowning
Release date: 4th April 2011
Certificate: PG
Running time: 82 mins
Director: Jean Renoir
Starring: Michel Simon, Charles Granval, Marcelle Hainia, Severine Lerczinska, Jean Daste
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Park Circus
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Country: France
Film: La Grande Illusion
Release date: 13th November 2006
Certificate: U
Running time: 108 mins
Director: Jean Renoir
Starring: Jean Gabin, Dita Parlo, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim, Julien Carette
Genre: Drama/War
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: France
La Grande Illusion is Renior’s 1937 satirical WWI prison drama that follows a band of prison escapologists as they attempt to escape from Wintersborn, an apparently inescapable prison. The film runs deeper than the Nazi party would allow, and was subsequently declared “Cinematographic Enemy Number One” by them after it won acclaim and prizes at the Venice Film Festival.
The film follows three French Prisoners of War during World War I and their persistent attempts to escape from prison-to-prison, for no reason other than their own amusement.
It begins with two aviators, Lieutenant Maréchal and Captain de Boeldieu (Jean Gabin and Pierre Fresnay) being sent to a prison camp, during which they meet a band of people, all of whom share a common interest: escaping.
During their time there, they are transferred to another prison, Wintersborn. Whilst at Wintersborn, they meet another of their previous inmates, Rosenthal (played by Marcel Dalio), and together they hatch another plan to escape.
Erich Von Stroheim plays Captain von Rauffenstein, the German prison warden, who shares the same acquaintances and philosophical perceptions of society as Boeldieu…
Renoir’s films often speak for themselves, but what is so fascinating about this film is its humanity, its poise and, above all, its sheer dignity when tackling such a grand subject. The approach it has to telling a story about prisoners of war is refreshing, something which is rare in cinema at the best of times, but for a film to still be so powerful over seventy years after its initial release is truly remarkable.
When watching, it is hardly surprising that the Nazi party despised it so much, for the way in which it portrays war and prison it does so mostly with a sense of humour. These prisoners don’t seem to do anything other than have a good time, and a weighty section of the initial half of the film is dedicated to the prisoners organising and performing a stage show of their own creation. Discipline and actual imprisonment takes a huge backseat, and so, at times, you almost forget that they are prisoners – the sets, decor and atmosphere are constructed so that it feels more like a holiday camp. This, of course, is another of the film’s swipes at German regime, and is entirely intentional. The German authority itself is also so flaccid and weak that they can hardly be called guards at all. The character that perhaps defines this the most is Rauffenstein, whom not only is directly mirrored and equal to Boledieu, but is also genuinely likeable. At times, he even seems to sympathise with the French characters, and yearns to have the same desires they have. This use of satire still cuts close to the bone, however, at times, it feels a little too direct and obvious. Perhaps – and this is only with a retrospective eye that we can determine this – it is a little tired and overused. Having said that, though, this is a very minor negative criticism.
Cinematic dimensions, such as lighting, performance, score and editing are all as praise-worthy and well-executed, but they are dwarfed by Renoir’s use of framing, camerawork, and his ability to control the camera. He seems to waste nothing when shooting his subjects; each ounce, corner, dimension and even plane is used to create a world that leaves the screen and enters our own. The scene, for example, when Boeldieu serves as a distraction, so his counterparts may escape, is extremely well created and delivered that you cannot take your eyes off the screen - its beauty is shone through its simplicity and effectiveness. There are only a handful of directors who are able to achieve this.
Perhaps the film’s only other negative criticism is its lack of drama, as although it is present and effective, it is too sparse - coming as a shock rather than tension. Within the context of comedy and satire, it thus becomes quite disjointing and uncomfortable. If drama and tension had been peppered throughout, rather than occasional and aggressive, it might have been a much more effective film. However, the comedy and satirical qualities might have sagged rather than been as crucial as they are. Perhaps cynicism isn’t the best approach to this; its intentions might have been mistaken, and its dramatic veins were designed to be more powerful than has been interpreted here.
La Grande Illusion is a very fine film; it is well presented, superbly well made with the acting being spot-on every step of the way. If you haven’t discovered the magic of Jean Renoir yet, this is a good place to start. JW
A Parisian bookseller, Lestingois, fishes Boudu, a vagrant, out of the Seine after seeing the man throw himself into the river. He befriends the tramp and puts him up at home.
Boudu’s coarse and irreverent behaviour shocks the whole household at first but he agrees to change his appearance and Madame Lestingois succumbs to his charms. Boudu, however, only has eyes for the maid, Anne-Marie, who happens to be the bookseller’s mistress.
Events take a different turn when Boudu wins 100,000 francs in the lottery.
This release of 1932’s Boudu Saved From Drowning (Boudu sauve des eaux) has been restored through the 2K digitalisation of the original nitrate negative image and a “safety” print. The original 1.19 aspect ratio has been re-established. It is worth noting that a previously missing scene was by chance conserved in the original negative, thus allowing presentation of a more complete version of the film.
Film: Boudu Saved From Drowning
Release date: 17th December 2010
Certificate: PG
Running time: 84 mins
Director: Jean Renoir
Starring: Michel Simon, Charles Granval, Marcelle Hainia, Severine Lerczinska, Régine Lutèce
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Park Circus
Format: Cinema
Country: France
