241-244 Stage and Spectacle: Three Films by Jean Renoir

[Zazou dans le Metro]

A Region 2-disc of The Golden Coach is announced from Digital Classics (release: 19 Oct 2009):
amazon.uk
I have the Stage and Spectacle box and appreciate its bonus materials, but Since Criterions The Golden Coach has some problems imagewise, this new disk may be superior? I don't know much about Digital Classics though.

Artwork (probably not final)

Maybe even more tantalisingly is the listing under bonus of "Full length film about Renoir." But one man's full length is another's... etc etc

[ellipsis7]

'La Premiere Super-Production Francaise en Technicolor' - likely explains the slight image problems at head and tail of GOLDEN COACH in the CC transfer... There appears to have been some shrinkage or suchlike damage of the three strip Technicolor negative at these points alone, meaning that the three separate strips of negative film that make up the colour elements are no longer perfectly aligned when combined into the full colour picture... If this is the problem, a major digital restoration (comme RED SHOES) would probably be necessary to correct...

[Dr. Snaut]

Can someone please provide me with some gushing praise for this set. I did not particularly enjoy Rules of the Game (I watched it 5 times since I owned it, trying to see if there was something I was missing) but enjoyed The River. It seems that this box is not the favorite of the Criterion box sets and I can't imagine whether it is the image/transfer or the films themselves. Any input would be appreciated.

[Napier]

Well Dr. Snaut, I can't go into a lengthy dissertation about the films,(I have to work), but if you can find the set on sale I wouldn't hesitate on picking this up. They are all good Renoir with strong leads by each of the respective female actress'. I wouldn't call them masterpieces, just good clean fun Renoir. The biggest problem with the set came with The Golden Coach, you have Scorsese giving an introduction at the beginning and touting the new "gloriously restored ending" and when you get there you are met with a muddled washed out abomination. But I for one, enjoyed all three.

[GringoTex]

Can someone please provide me with some gushing praise for this set. I did not particularly enjoy Rules of the Game (I watched it 5 times since I owned it, trying to see if there was something I was missing) but enjoyed The River. It seems that this box is not the favorite of the Criterion box sets and I can't imagine whether it is the image/transfer or the films themselves. Any input would be appreciated.

These films have a lot more in common with Rules than River. It's my favorite Criterion box for the films (Golden Coach is in my top 10 list) and for the absolutely brilliant Renoir/Rivette interviews. The only major transfer problem is the last 30 seconds or so of Golden Coach (which is terrible but shouldn't stop you from seeing the film), although there have been complaints about the color timing.

[Dr. Snaut]

What are the similarities between these films and Rules? I assumed they would be more in line with The River (probably because they are bright and beautiful technicolor). I guess my biggest issue was whether to buy this set or Boudu and Le Bete instead. It seems like a win-win situation, either way.

[GringoTex]

What are the similarities between these films and Rules? I assumed they would be more in line with The River (probably because they are bright and beautiful technicolor).

Like Rules, all three films are about Renoir's carefully controlled chaos between characters onstage and backstage. Plus, everybody's trying to fuck each other.

[ellipsis7]

What are the similarities between these films and Rules? I assumed they would be more in line with The River (probably because they are bright and beautiful technicolor).

Like Rules, all three films are about Renoir's carefully controlled chaos between characters onstage and backstage. Plus, everybody's trying to fuck each other.

Absolutely... Life as Art, Art as Life...

BTW among the profusion of extras, you also get BBC Renoir Omnibus docu #2 (#1 being on RULES)...

[Tommaso]

And even better, a very long interview with Renoir conducted by Jacques Rivette, unfortunately split in three parts over the three discs, but that's a minor point. As to the films themselves, "French Cancan" and especially "Elena" never really struck me as major Renoirs; they are in a way recapitulations of much of his early work thematically and even stylistically (I think we discussed "Nana" in this respect a long time ago), and less innovative than "The Testament of Dr. Cordelier", for example. But they are all very colourful, and well worth seeing.

[ellipsis7]

Well CORDELIER is JR's take on Jekyll and Hyde - the flipside between the evil and good that inhabit the same man, the dark side of the male psyche - and also as the intro makes clear, essentially a TV project, shot with multiple cameras, utilising new techniques...

FRENCH CAN CAN is wonderful IMHO - a celebration of his father's world, but all three films in the S&S set basically show Art (and the female) triumphing over politics, ambition, materialism, aggression (the masculine imperative) etc.... Submit to Art JR says and we have the best the world has to offer, and the best of worlds - this in the wake of WWII and his return to Europe and France - a philosophy espoused by Renoir senior, reframed in the 1950s by JR through this trilogy of period pieces...

[jbaart]

Has anyone bought the UK release of Golden Coach? I'd be very interested whether this has the same problems as the CC one.

[PillowRock]

For anyone in the Washington DC area: French Cancan will be showing at the National Art Gallery on January 29.

[hearthesilence]

Ah, I'm guessing it's the recent Gaumont restoration. I saw it at MoMA a few months ago, and it looked great - would've been better if it was film, but if it was shot in three-strip Technicolor and they had to do digital realignment on the negative, it's understandable.

[solaris72]

A newer restoration of The Golden Coach is streaming on Amazon Prime. Wasn't looking carefully but didn't notice any problems in the final minutes.

[Tuppence]

For anyone wondering, Raro Video USA's new Blu-ray of The Golden Coach is the same English-language version as the Criterion, looks tons better (from a new 2K restoration), and has no Technicolor-registration issues at all in the final moments.

If you combine these with the BFI Blu-ray of French Cancan, and the Gaumont Blu-ray of Elena and Her Men, you get a very satisfying upgrade for all three.

[tenia]

I suppose it's the 2k 2012 restoration from Digimages ?

[onedimension]

Too bad Coach was poached, that would've been a nice trio to reissue..

Does French Cancan have a 4k restoration?

[Peacock]

I’m hoping someone can compare the Raro encode with the TF1 to see if it’s worth double dipping.

[Tuppence]

I suppose it's the 2k 2012 restoration from Digimages ?

It is, yes. The opening restoration title card looks awful and low resolution, with horrible artifacting, but the film proper looks very nice. Maybe I'm being less critical, because it's nearly the 20th anniversary of Criterion's subpar DVD, but watching this Blu-ray was like an oasis in the desert.