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| Patricia
Walters, Radha, Adrienne Corri, Thomas E. Breen, Nora Swinburne |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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Mother (Nora Swinburne): She's
growing up. We all have to, Harriet.
Three teenage girls are living in
Bengali (India) near a big river : Harriet is the oldest child
of a big family of English settlers. Valerie is the unique daughter
of an American industrialist. Melanie has an American father and
an Indian mother. One day, a man arrives. He will be the first
love of the three girls.
 Having
spent several years in Hollywood battling with producers to get
his films made the way he wanted them, director Jean Renoir finally
found an independent investor who desired to make a Technicolor
film in India and who shared Renoir's wish to create a filmed version
of Rumer Godden's novel The River (to which Renoir had
already acquired the rights). And although Renoir's legendary temper
was taxed to its limits by this 'amateur' producer, the final result
was not only one of the most gorgeous color films ever made, but
also became another high point in the illustrious humanist's film
career.
Revealing the influence of Hindu philosophy on Renoir's work, the
slight but deeply felt narrative follows the crises and everyday
lives of three teenaged girls living in India as they come of age.
Exploring themes of personal loss, death and rebirth, the film
is a restful, eloquent and stunningly photographed meditation on
life, framed from the perspective of these girls' tumultuous and
confusing adolescence, the exotic surroundings providing a suitably
heightened backdrop for their exaggerated emotions. It's a delicate,
tenderly observed piece of work that stand among Renoir's finest
films. |
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Available for Region 1 from
The Criterion Collection.
The fullscreen
image is framed at its original aspect ratio of approx. 1.33:1. The
film has recently been restored to its full Technicolor glory
in a spectacular restoration effort undertaken bij de American
Film Institute, which is done full justice by an immaculate
transfer that reveals in full why it is considered by Martin
Scorsese and many others one of the most beautiful color
films ever made.
The original mono sound mix is presented in Dolby Digital
1.0, and presents an undistorted, clean-sounding soundtrack
for the film.
 Although
not quite as feature-heavy as some of the Criterion Collection's
first-tier releases, The River includes a selection
of valuable supplements that enrich one's understanding of
and appreciation for the film enormously. The ever-avuncular
Jean Renoir provides a terrific introduction to the film,
explaining how he became involved with the project, and how
the location shoot in India influenced him. Martin Scorsese
is one of the film's big champions, and he adds his thoughts
on the picture in a 10-minute interview, illustrated by relevant
stills and snippets from the film. The film's producer, the
rather eccentric American florist Kenneth McEldowney, reminisces
on his involvement in an extended audio interview, conveniently
arranged into sections divided by topic. An elaborate and
highly engaging documentary produced by the BBC offers more
background on author Rumer Godden, while an extensive stills
gallery and the film's trailer round out these fine extras.
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed:
May 30, 2005
Click
here for IMDB info on The
River .
Click here
to return to the front page.
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