The Golden Coach (1952)

Three men of varying social standing - a viceroy, a bullfighter, and a soldier - vie for the affections of an actress in 18th-century Peru.

Director:

Jean Renoir

Writers:

Jean Renoir (story and screenplay), Jack Kirkland (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Anna Magnani, Odoardo Spadaro, Nada Fiorelli

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Anna Magnani	...	Camilla
Odoardo Spadaro	...	Don Antonio
Nada Fiorelli	...	Isabella
Dante	...	Arlequin
Duncan Lamont	...	Ferdinand, Le Viceroy
George Higgins	...	Martinez
Ralph Truman	...	Duc de Castro
Gisella Mathews	...	Marquise Irene Altamirano
Raf De La Torre	...	Le Procureur
Elena Altieri	...	Duchesse de Castro
Paul Campbell	...	Felipe
Riccardo Rioli	...	Ramon, le Toreador
William Tubbs	...	Aubergiste (as William C. Tubbs)
Jean Debucourt	...	Eveque de Carmol (de Comédie-Française)

Storyline

In Peru in the eighteenth century. Camilla, the star of a theater company, hesitates between three men. The Viceroy gives her his magnificent golden coach. A young Spanish officer suggests the two of them settle down together among Indians. Ramon, a torero, offers her a share of his glory.

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Plot Keywords:

period drama | viceroy | indians | theater | sword fight | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 January 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Golden Coach

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Delphinus, Hoche Productions, Panaria Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #242.

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Quotes

Camilla: Oh, Felipe, it's impossible. I can't win them in a foreign language.
Felipe: Win who?
Camilla: Them - the audience. The only "them" who matters.

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Connections

Referenced in Sunny Side Up (1994)

User Reviews

Where Gold Commands, Laughter Vanishes

Renoir brought a new authorial voice to his work with The Diary of a Chambermaid which carried over into the "trilogy" of Carosse D'Or, French CanCan and Elena. The trilogy therefore is a bit of a misnomer despite Diary admittedly being more transitional than the three color productions which soon followed. Renoir introduces Carosse as a "fantasy" in the "spanish style" and it was at this time in his life where he was ready to dedicate himself to theater. The opening shot is a fantastic reflective juxtaposition of the theater stage and the cinema screen. Deep staging is important to the mise-en-scene, but there is little long take mobile framing. One-shot closeups, pov and shot-reverse-shot create a sense of psychological identification. The polyvocal system is less logical than Grande Illusion and more at the service of Magnani (much in the same way that Goddard was the focal point of Diary). A montage of shots connected through dissolves as well as the static camera solidify a sense of tableau fitting appropriately with the specularity of the commedia dell'arte theme. The viceroy is Camilla's muse sooner than the typical inverse. He provides a sensitivity that reminds of Le Baron in Bas Fonds... and his fascinations are just as patronizing and unsettling. There is a voyeuristic theme within the specular structure which raises questions about the great depth of field relating to privilege as opposed to realism. Renoir would take a new look at this at the end of Cancan when Gabin rehearses the performance in his mind from backstage. The Golden Coach is very much a film these for Renoir as he plays out the most important elements of his personal philosophy - that of internal and external truths and the masks that people wear to manage their relationship and mode of expression. For a fun, light film there is a lot of powerful expression in Carosse D'Or.