Director: Jean Renoir
Year Released: 1938
Rating: 3.5
Renoir's depiction of the French Revolution - released between Grand Illusion and The Rules of the Game - is a (mostly) spirited depiction of ordinary people rising up against Louis XVI and abhorrent social conditions: Renoir the optimist believed in the people and their ability to stand up for their rights. It's ebullient, busy and probably not 100% accurate, but the positive feeling is infectious: Renoir celebrated the fellow-feeling with a mostly non-violent takeover in Marseilles and long, chatty walk to Paris … and then shows that dream of a peaceful takeover ruined with the violent battle at the Tuileries Palace where many are killed. It sends somberly, too: though concerned about the future, the revolutionaries feel they've set a positive precedent, and did it for the glory of France. This spirit seems to still exist - even today the French are not ashamed to take to the streets and protest, obviously a nod to their history, and something to admire.
