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Boudu Sauvé des Eaux (1932)

Director: Jean Renoir

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From Time Out London

The most startling thing about ‘Boudu’ – which is being furnished with an extended run as part of a complete retrospective of the work of, for me, the finest director of them all – is just how incredibly fresh it remains. It’s hard to believe that sound cinema was a mere five years old when, in 1932, Renoir and his collaborator, actor and producer Michel Simon brought their tale of the disruptions wreaked by a priapic Parisian tramp to fruition. The film’s extraordinary vif and spontaneity is partly explained by Renoir’s liberating approach to acting, his leisurely takes and formal experimentation (notably with sound), and partly by his use of real location – you really feel you could step right on to these bustling boulevards. Simon’s ‘Boudu’ – who’s fished out of the river following a suicide attempt by a later rueful philanthropist and given the ultimate Trinny & Susannah makeover – is a comic masterpiece and stands alongside his Père Jules in ‘L’Atalante’ as a contender for his greatest screen role. Everybody has their reasons, but Boudu’s are finally hard to divine. His libidinous anarchy may provide the director with his funniest comedy but Renoir never pretends to unravel his sometimes surreal but often dark, troubling and challenging enigma. Great stuff.

Author: WH 2005-12-20 10:46:59

Time Out London Issue 1844: December 21 2005 - January 4 2006