Jean Renoir - Genuine Bull_hit
I saw the movie hailed by critics as "The Best Movie Ever Made" i.e. La Règle du Jeu...Over the years, since Renoir re-released the movie in the 50s, there have been many attempts to, I won't say copy, relive the feudal ambience portrayed in this movie...Remains of the Day, Gosford Park etc. etc. but that really doesn't qualify La Règle du Jeu as the greatest movie ever made...its not even a great movie...quite ordinary in fact...I do speak French fluently and I have seen the orignal version and its as banal as at gets...nothing against French movies or continental cinema in particualr....I love Luis Bunuel's surreals...Truffat, Chabrol and Rhomer are all excellent moviemakers but this gross overappreciation and overrating of Renoir and La Règle du Jeu enrages me...
Same is the case with Toni and Les Bas Fonds...Banality to the hilt...nothing extra ordinary at all...in fact nothing at all...perhaps they have been copying his style in France for so long now that the original thing has become out-dated and perhaps this is the reason for which the American/British (Anglophones) become fascinated more by the novelty of his movies than the fact that the movie or direction as such are extraordinary or astounding...
Renoir has never failed to disappoint me...Perhaps Francophones should not watch his movies because they are prone to fathom the superfaciality of his content that in turn would render them disgusted...Highly recommended for people who want to add the "Oh so enigmatically and surrealistically classy French Cinema" to their checklists...