The River / Le Fleuve (1951) :
Brief Review -
The great French director makes a Hollywood movie of American girls set in Bengal to show the world the beauty of India and Indian culture. My Incredible India! What a magnificent cultural crossover it was! Jean Renoir's final American film, The River, was based on Rumer Godden's novel of the same name and perhaps his only Film shot in India fully. We Indians say "Incredible India" for thousands of reasons, but it's a different feeling when someone from outside India says it and tells it to the entire world. Just for the trivia, our great Satyajit Ray had a meeting with Jean Renoir while he was filming this movie in Calcutta, and Ray was a student then. Coincidentally, I watched this movie today, on August 26th, which celebrates the anniversary of Ray's first classic, "Pather Panchali". I could feel how impressed and inspired Ray was by Renoir films and other Italian films of the 40s and 50s. The River is not an Indian film, but it feels more Indian than what Indian movies felt at that time. Hollywood's production was of higher quality, and their filmmaking was ahead of Indian filmmaking then (it is the same even today), so it was quite evident why The River looked better than all Indian films. It is so vivid and strong while explaining India, Indian history, Indian culture, Indian festivals, Indian traditions, Indian women, Indian mindset, and India's idea about the whole world. It put India on the global map like no other Indian filmmaker could at the time. The main essence of the film may be American because the characters are American and they follow a typical nature throughout their lives, but look at the way they have been transformed, the way they have been Indianized, and how gratefully they adopt Indian practices. Right from our Gods, holy rituals, festivals, love, marriage traditions, and family trends, the Indian blood flows like a "River" in "The River". The storyline isn't great, but the cultural metaverse is simply adorable.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.
The great French director makes a Hollywood movie of American girls set in Bengal to show the world the beauty of India and Indian culture. My Incredible India! What a magnificent cultural crossover it was! Jean Renoir's final American film, The River, was based on Rumer Godden's novel of the same name and perhaps his only Film shot in India fully. We Indians say "Incredible India" for thousands of reasons, but it's a different feeling when someone from outside India says it and tells it to the entire world. Just for the trivia, our great Satyajit Ray had a meeting with Jean Renoir while he was filming this movie in Calcutta, and Ray was a student then. Coincidentally, I watched this movie today, on August 26th, which celebrates the anniversary of Ray's first classic, "Pather Panchali". I could feel how impressed and inspired Ray was by Renoir films and other Italian films of the 40s and 50s. The River is not an Indian film, but it feels more Indian than what Indian movies felt at that time. Hollywood's production was of higher quality, and their filmmaking was ahead of Indian filmmaking then (it is the same even today), so it was quite evident why The River looked better than all Indian films. It is so vivid and strong while explaining India, Indian history, Indian culture, Indian festivals, Indian traditions, Indian women, Indian mindset, and India's idea about the whole world. It put India on the global map like no other Indian filmmaker could at the time. The main essence of the film may be American because the characters are American and they follow a typical nature throughout their lives, but look at the way they have been transformed, the way they have been Indianized, and how gratefully they adopt Indian practices. Right from our Gods, holy rituals, festivals, love, marriage traditions, and family trends, the Indian blood flows like a "River" in "The River". The storyline isn't great, but the cultural metaverse is simply adorable.
RATING - 7/10*
By - #samthebestest.