La Chienne (1931) :
Brief Review -
French master Jean Renoir's haunting tale of Karma that even a legend like Fritz Lang couldn't match. La Chienne must be hailed as one of the most important classics by the great Jean Renoir. Having seen its American remake, "Scarlet Street" (1945), which had a few changes here and there, I was completely aware of the story and its consequences. Despite that, Renoir's film has a haunting impact on me. HOW?!!! That's just wonderful. Josef Von Sternberg's German cult "Der blaue Engel" (1930) showed us how female acid can destroy a naive man. La Chienne goes one step ahead as it deals with the KARMA factor in a regular Femme Fatale. We always want the dame to get published for her wrongdoings, but never the man who falls for her. Why? The man should be punished too for being so dumb and yet not recognising the basic atrocities of the situation. So, the woman is cheating on a man-that's okay, that's her nature-but what about the man who has eyes and yet behaves like a blind man? And what about getting all three of them (the woman, her boyfriend, and the man) punished because they all made mistakes? Here's that one film that believes in karma and applies it to all three leading characters. The last scene, when the man has become a vagrant and sees his own painting being sold and yet does not react to it; rather, he is more interested in the dropped money while his own earnings are getting away in the car. What a classic piece of cinema it is. For years, I'll remember it and keep telling people about it. Even a legend like Fritz Lang couldn't surpass Renoir's cinema with the same story, which tells you how big the classic La Chienne must be. "Life is beautiful," says the protagonist at the end. I'd say, "Cinema is beautiful," because we have cult movies like this. Dear Jean Renoir, sorry that some movie buffs couldn't understand your timeless cinema at that time, but I am blessed to experience it today after 9 decades.
RATING - 8/10*
By - #samthebestest.
French master Jean Renoir's haunting tale of Karma that even a legend like Fritz Lang couldn't match. La Chienne must be hailed as one of the most important classics by the great Jean Renoir. Having seen its American remake, "Scarlet Street" (1945), which had a few changes here and there, I was completely aware of the story and its consequences. Despite that, Renoir's film has a haunting impact on me. HOW?!!! That's just wonderful. Josef Von Sternberg's German cult "Der blaue Engel" (1930) showed us how female acid can destroy a naive man. La Chienne goes one step ahead as it deals with the KARMA factor in a regular Femme Fatale. We always want the dame to get published for her wrongdoings, but never the man who falls for her. Why? The man should be punished too for being so dumb and yet not recognising the basic atrocities of the situation. So, the woman is cheating on a man-that's okay, that's her nature-but what about the man who has eyes and yet behaves like a blind man? And what about getting all three of them (the woman, her boyfriend, and the man) punished because they all made mistakes? Here's that one film that believes in karma and applies it to all three leading characters. The last scene, when the man has become a vagrant and sees his own painting being sold and yet does not react to it; rather, he is more interested in the dropped money while his own earnings are getting away in the car. What a classic piece of cinema it is. For years, I'll remember it and keep telling people about it. Even a legend like Fritz Lang couldn't surpass Renoir's cinema with the same story, which tells you how big the classic La Chienne must be. "Life is beautiful," says the protagonist at the end. I'd say, "Cinema is beautiful," because we have cult movies like this. Dear Jean Renoir, sorry that some movie buffs couldn't understand your timeless cinema at that time, but I am blessed to experience it today after 9 decades.
RATING - 8/10*
By - #samthebestest.