The River : Jean Renoir

 "My time in the trenches was cut short by a German bullet. I was wounded in the leg, and this had a great influence on me. I was destined to limp for the rest of my life. Paradoxically, I consider this an advantage. A person who limps does not see life in the same  way as someone who doesn't limp. But I directed films as much with my legs as with my head, and the result of that wound, which never healed, was four years ago, at the age of seventy five, I had to abandon a career which, to my mind, was only just beginning.

                                       -An Actor Named Charlote

On many aspects Renoir's The River (1951) is tremendously important for world cinema especially for Indian cinema as it's the firs movie (as far I know or if I am not missed something) where the world see the Indian diverse lives and cultures through an European film auteur under an American production. Moreover; it's first Renoir's colour film and surprisingly Satyajit Roy  was one of the crews in the film. I think he has influenced by Renoir's cinematic aesthetics and philosophy.

Coincidentally, I have read this chapter just after watching The River. I found its narrative and philosophical basis from these sentences. The arc line of the film is captain John's limp leg that bounded him to see the world the way the world does not see. Around this point all the three women's emotional journey we could watch and enjoy in the movie in a marvellous way. The recurring dialogue was the end is just the beginning also resonates with  Renoir's "...at the age of seventy five, I had to abandon a career which, to my mind, was only just the beginning."

Are there any other films even in India itself that projected the Bengal as the representative region in united India before 1951. The way it depicted the geographic beauties ; mythological (the story of Krishna) , spiritual aspects (Buddha's enlightenment under peepal tree & deep meditation near the river), religious festivals (Dwalee, Holi, Kali Puja, Mansha puja) are undoubtedly cross the bar of my expectation. But I have an assumption that Renoir has a strong affection to oriental cultures and its stories when I have noticed the repetitive screening of figures shown in The Rules of the Games.

As I have seen the multi-angular romantic affair in The Rules of the Games among Christine with Robert, Andrie & Octave; the same structure has been applied in The River among Capt. John with Harriet, Melanine & Valerie. This kind of repetitive characters' conflict structure is used by Akira Kurosawa and even when I read Rabindranath's novels I have noticed these repetitive forms of character development.

Another  repeat I have come across is the unconventional friendships or togetherness Illusion, Andre & Octave in The Rules of the Game, Tom & Ben in Swamp Water and Bogey & Kanu in The River are all kind of make echo of Renoir and Godefer shared lives.

The Bengali musical scores and blonde fibres of jute have given a glimpse of the grace of Bengali arts and economics in the colonial and imperial era in United India.

The River (1951)

Jean Renoir

English,USA