Jean Renoir

 

Gaston Modot + Julien Carette + Marcel DalioJacques B. Brunius + Georges D'ArnouxJean Gabin + Simone Simon

Biography

Jean Renoir

Photo of Jean Renoir
The Western is always the same, which gives the director tremendous freedom

Movie news:

This week 46 years ago Le Caporal épinglé premiered (May 23, 1962)

Born:

September 15, 1894

Died:

February 12, 1979

The second son of impressionist Auguste Renoir grew up in the artistic milieu of turn-of-the-century Paris. After World War I, in which he was wounded, his film career started when he scripted Catherine (1924). A year later Renoir directed his first film, La fille de l'eau because he wanted to make a star of his wife Catherine Hessling (a former model of his father).

The coming of sound raised him on a higher level commercially, On purge Bébé (1931) and artistically, La Chienne (1931).

In the late thirties he reached his peaks with La Grande Illusion (1937), a study of three French POWs and La regle du jeu (1939). He left France in 1941 during the German invasion and became a naturalized US citizen. In Hollywood, Renoir made six American films with limited success. He turned to writing, to the theatre and to television.

Jean was awarded the French légion d'honneur in 1977.

Academy awards:

1946 - Nominated best Director for: The Southerner (1945)
1975 - Honorary Academy Award

Selected Movies:

 

Erich von Stroheim + Pierre Fresnay + Jean Gabin

News

Poster ofLe Caporal épinglé

This week 46 years ago Le Caporal épinglé premiered (May 23, 1962)

Trivia

Renoir: “When a friend speaks to me, whatever he says is interesting”

Renoir tried for three years to find a producer for La grande illusion. Actor Jean Gabin helped him raising the money for by finding a financier. Source / More (Book)

Jean financed some of his films by selling some of his late father’s paintings.

Renoir was asked by the Parti Communiste Francais to make a propaganda film. It had no theatrical release, but was only shown at political meetings and party functions. Source / More (Book)

Jean was painted by his famous father many times. He hated his long golden hair because he was afraid being mistaken for a girl. Jean’s father however did not allow him to cut his hair. Source / More (Book)

Renoir was a great admirer of Charles Chaplin: “The master of masters, the film-maker of film-makers for me is still Charlie Chaplin. [] His films are not only examples of perfect unity, but all his work is one” Source / More (Book)

Renoir: “The marvelous thing about Westerns is that they’re all the same movie” Source / More (Book)

Bibliography