071: Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932) - released in France 11/11/1932; viewed 6/30/06.
The San Francisco Opera House opens. 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' airs on radio for the first time. Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats Herbert Hoover in a landslide victory.
BIRTHS: Roy Scheider.
DOUG: A tramp named Boudu decides to commit suicide, but is rescued by a rich, gentle bookseller who takes him in. There, Boudu makes a mess of everything in the house with his lazy, salacious, man-child ways, injecting this bourgeois household with some much-needed id. This little film was suggested in an issue of Premiere Magazine with a list of 50 Hidden Gems on DVD. I figured we might as well check this one out; our journey through 1932 could use some foreign color, after all. The DVD has a very nice intro from Renoir himself, praising the style and performance of his star, Michel Simon, his leading man from 'La Chienne.' The film reunites Renoir with Simon, who was perfect at playing total losers. This film goes rather nicely with 'La Chienne.' Boudu could be the same guy. He often seems to be slightly retarded. A memorable scene has him polishing his shoes at the behest of Emma, the bookkeeper's wife (who apparently assumes that any sensible human being knows how to polish his shoes). Boudu ignores the brush and rag and simply applies the polish with his bare hands, getting the stuff on EVERYTHING. What makes it all funny is the way the family reacts to his antics; Edouard gets so frustrated with Boudu that he declares that the next time he sees a man drowning, he'll only rescue him if he's "one of us," (upper class). This coming from a man who owns a piano that no one in the house knows how to play simply because "we are respectable people." Boudu is more or less the same character at the end as at the beginning, with the small exception that he's no longer suicidal. This film also contains some of the first exterior location shooting, improvisational acting, and just a touch of deep focus photography.
KEVIN: Another pic from Jean Renoir, and though he hasn't yet captured my heart as a master filmmaker, he's definitely shown himself to be a unique talent. As for Boudu, the lovable wino played by Michel Simon, I wouldn't want this guy traipsing around my house. Watching him eat, the way he pushes food past that ugly beard, makes me never want to eat again. Michel Simon's portrayal of Boudu is probably too perfect. The way he talks, walks, moves, and eats is frighteningly believable. I don't think I really got the movie though. It's a comedy, but I didn't laugh very much, or even chuckle. The bookseller and his family are hopelessly in over their heads on what to do with Boudu after taking him in. They keep trying to house break him, but their attempts to assimilate him into their civilized, cultured lifestyle just slide off Boudu like axle grease. This is a very strange movie to be sure. Boudu is nearly the same homeless lovable loser he was at the beginning, with the sole exception that he's no longer suicidal when the end titles come up. Boudu doesn't seem to care that he's gone on any kind of journey or met new people or has some nice new clothes. Maybe that's part of his charm.
Last film: Night After Night (1932). Next film: I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932).
The San Francisco Opera House opens. 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' airs on radio for the first time. Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats Herbert Hoover in a landslide victory.
BIRTHS: Roy Scheider.
DOUG: A tramp named Boudu decides to commit suicide, but is rescued by a rich, gentle bookseller who takes him in. There, Boudu makes a mess of everything in the house with his lazy, salacious, man-child ways, injecting this bourgeois household with some much-needed id. This little film was suggested in an issue of Premiere Magazine with a list of 50 Hidden Gems on DVD. I figured we might as well check this one out; our journey through 1932 could use some foreign color, after all. The DVD has a very nice intro from Renoir himself, praising the style and performance of his star, Michel Simon, his leading man from 'La Chienne.' The film reunites Renoir with Simon, who was perfect at playing total losers. This film goes rather nicely with 'La Chienne.' Boudu could be the same guy. He often seems to be slightly retarded. A memorable scene has him polishing his shoes at the behest of Emma, the bookkeeper's wife (who apparently assumes that any sensible human being knows how to polish his shoes). Boudu ignores the brush and rag and simply applies the polish with his bare hands, getting the stuff on EVERYTHING. What makes it all funny is the way the family reacts to his antics; Edouard gets so frustrated with Boudu that he declares that the next time he sees a man drowning, he'll only rescue him if he's "one of us," (upper class). This coming from a man who owns a piano that no one in the house knows how to play simply because "we are respectable people." Boudu is more or less the same character at the end as at the beginning, with the small exception that he's no longer suicidal. This film also contains some of the first exterior location shooting, improvisational acting, and just a touch of deep focus photography.
KEVIN: Another pic from Jean Renoir, and though he hasn't yet captured my heart as a master filmmaker, he's definitely shown himself to be a unique talent. As for Boudu, the lovable wino played by Michel Simon, I wouldn't want this guy traipsing around my house. Watching him eat, the way he pushes food past that ugly beard, makes me never want to eat again. Michel Simon's portrayal of Boudu is probably too perfect. The way he talks, walks, moves, and eats is frighteningly believable. I don't think I really got the movie though. It's a comedy, but I didn't laugh very much, or even chuckle. The bookseller and his family are hopelessly in over their heads on what to do with Boudu after taking him in. They keep trying to house break him, but their attempts to assimilate him into their civilized, cultured lifestyle just slide off Boudu like axle grease. This is a very strange movie to be sure. Boudu is nearly the same homeless lovable loser he was at the beginning, with the sole exception that he's no longer suicidal when the end titles come up. Boudu doesn't seem to care that he's gone on any kind of journey or met new people or has some nice new clothes. Maybe that's part of his charm.
Last film: Night After Night (1932). Next film: I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932).