Georges Fouchardiere's novel of 1920 about a dupe, a tart and a pimp has been given a magnificent treatment here by Jean Renoir with excellent camerawork by Theodor Sparkuhl.
Its power and poignancy are even greater knowing that Michel Simon as the dupe had genuine feelings for Janie Mares, playing the tart, while she preferred Georges Flamant who just happened to be playing the pimp!
Her death in a car accident with Flamant at the wheel left Simon devastated. Renoir had apparently encouraged the Mares/Flamant relationship to aid the effectiveness of the film. Miraculously Simon's friendship with Renoir survived this traumatic episode and they went on to make another masterpiece:'Boudu saved from drowning'.
How about Fritz Lang's remake of 1945?
The constant compromises that Lang was obliged to make to the system and puritanism of Hollywood have been well documented. Renoir himself was to experience similarly frustrating constraints during his sojourn in America but here on 'home turf' in the 1930's he was quite frankly incomparable. Lang's version has some excellent moments of course.
What of the performances? Mares is far more sluttish and Flamant more abusive to her than the Hays Code would have permitted Joan Bennett and the excellent Dan Duryea to be. Screenwriter Dudley Nichols could only hint that Kitty was partial to a bit of rough. Pointless of course to compare Michel Simon to Edward G. Robinson as both in their way were supremely talented.
The paintings in 'La Chienne' are far better than those in 'Scarlet Street' by the way. Jean was after all the son of Auguste!
Renoir's film is yet another of l'embarras des richesses which he gave to the world during his most creatively satisfying period. Must have a '10'.
Review of La Chienne
