Boudu sauvé des eaux (1932)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Jean Renoir

Writer:

René Fauchois (play)

Release Date:

23 February 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Boudu, a tramp, jumps into the Seine. He is rescued by Mr Lestingois, a gentle and good bookseller, who gives shelter to him...

Plot Keywords:

Tramp | Homeless | Paris France | Rescue From Drowning | Suicide Attempt

Cast

Michel Simon	...	Priape Boudu
Marcelle Hainia	...	Emma Lestingois
Sévérine Lerczinska	...	Chloë Anne Marie, la bonne
Jean Gehret	...	Vigour
Max Dalban	...	Godin
Jean Dasté	...	L'étudiant
Charles Granval	...	Édouard Lestingois (as Charles Granval Sociétaire de la Comédie Française)

Also Known As:

Boudu Saved from Drowning (USA)

Runtime:

France:85 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1:19 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Berges de la Seine, Paris, France

Company:

Les Établissements Jacques Haïk

Trivia:

The poet on the bench at the beginning is Jacques Becker, assistant director for that movie. He later directed Casque d'or (1952) and other famous movies.

Quotes:

Chloë Anne Marie, la bonne: Why have a piano if no one plays it?
Édouard Lestingois: Even so, we have a piano because we are respectable people.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Boudu (2005)

Soundtrack:

Danube bleu (An der Schönen, blauen Donau)

Very enjoyable; Michel Simon is inspired as Boudu.

I'm sure this film would have raised many an eyebrow at the time, perhaps due to the distinctly modern depiction of marriage and relationships. Jean Renoir directs and writes with a sure, light touch, poking subtle fun at bourgeois values through Granval and Hainia's characters. Charles Granval is wonderful as the laid back liberal Bookseller, with no real skills of character judgement, while Marcelle Hainia is delightful as the wife not quite as prim and "respectable" as she seems at first. The major portrayal is of Boudu, though. Michel Simon shows a remarkable comic touch, up to the likes of Tati almost (what an interesting pairing Tati and Simon would have made...). His vagabond, Boudu is both a seedy and wonderfully endearing creation, with moments of casual, blunt pathos and eccentricity interspersed expertly by Renoir. In many ways, the work of Chaplin seems an influence on the film, with the lowly tramp portrayed as no worse than the bourgeosie. There is none of Chaplin's much remarked-upon sentimentality though, with Boudu coming never less than a little flawed. It's interesting to view how he changes throughout the film, from suicidal to anarchic to a man of principled decision- the final choice he has to make in the wonderful end sequence.

As the first Renoir I've seen, it bodes well for future renoir viewings as "Boudu" generally isn't seen as one of his masterpieces.

"Boudu Saved From Drowning" is a delight. It's pace is leisurely, relaxed, but never seems slow. It's a better film than the 1934 Vigo effort "L'Atalante" starring Simon, as it has excellent characters and an effective, humour and plot. Wonderful it is, be assured. Rating:- **** 1/2 (out of *****).