Running Time: 40 minutesDirected By: Jean Renoir
Written By: Jean Renoir, from story by Guy de Maupassant
Main Cast: Sylvia Bataille, Georges D'Arnoux, Jane Marken, Jacques B. Brunius
A VERY SHORT, VERY INNOCENT LITTLE PICTURE
As I mentioned at the end of my previous post, "A Day in the Country" was as close as you can get, to being just another unfound movie. That is, until I stumbled upon it on YouTube and was able to knock it out easily, with only a forty minute length.
Monsieur and Madame Dufour, along with their daughter, grandmother and hopeful son-in-law, head out in a milk cart, for a day in the country. When they arrive at a location fit for picnicking, they halt their cart and unload as a family, nestling down beneath a cherry tree to enjoy some lunch. Two male onlookers, can't seem to keep their eyes off of Monsieur Dufour's daughter, Henriette and watch her gracefully fly through the air with the help of a tree swing. The two male onlookers are Henri and Rodolphe, and they decide that they'll try to pursue the ladies (Henriette and her mother), as if they were fish, using Henriette's lost hat as bait. Meanwhile, Monsieur Dufour and his sonn to be son-in-law, Anatole, are regretting the fact that they failed to bring along fishing poles, which opens up a perfect opportunity for the two males, in need of companionship. Henri and Rodolphe lend Monsieur Dufour and Anatole two fishing poles, as well as some bait and ask if they make take the two ladies out for a boat ride. With their fishing equipment in tow and not wanting to be bothered, they more than eagerly oblige.
Rodolphe takes Madame Dufour and Henri takes Henriette and in two seperate boats they go strolling down the lake. While Rodolphe and Madame Dufour are very carefree, Henri and Henriette stop their boat to get a little closer to nature, and to each other. Sharing a kiss while laying in the grass, as Renoir works the camera beautifully, we really get a feel for the type of day this will go down as in the lives of these characters. One that they'll never soon forget and one that they'll ponder on for, possibly, the rest of their lives.
The innocence of this film is quite stunning, as Henriette examines the nature around her, pondering how many insects she must kill with each step she takes in the grass and wanting so badly to cry for them, but not being able to. There's also a mixture of carefree fun thrown in, in the way of the character of Rodolphe, who really doesn't seem to ponder such things and only thinks of women and how far he can get with them. This wasn't a bad film at all, and word has it, that Renoir left it unfinished. I can only imagine the sorts of emotions that "A Day in the Country" could provoke, had it been a full feature length movie. I loved Renoir's filming of the coming of a rainstorm, near the end of the film and speaking of the end, what a note to go out on, as Henriette revisits the park area where she once created passion with Henri, now married to the drone of a man, Anatole. Henri and Henriette are able to share a moment together, before Anatole comes a calling and what a sad, tragic moment, between two lovers that never were.
RATING: 6/10 I'll say it again, this is something that could've been much, much more effective at a full running time. But at least we got the forty minutes and that's something, I guess.
NEXT UP: Modern Times...Charlie Chaplin's final film in the "1001" book. I have it here from Netflix, but I'll more than likely save it for tomorrow.
February 6, 2010 1:21pm
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