A beautiful film to look at--beautiful actress, great scenery in the south of France, interesting storyline about the infirm painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his family in shambles. Set in 1915, as the First World War depletes the men from the area, Renoir lives in a house of only women--except for his sons--Renoir is stricken with rhumatoid arthritis and has to be carried everywhere. His hands are so crippled that the paint brushes must be tied to his hands so he doesn't drop them. His eyesight is going as his pictures become more and more impressionistic. One son has lost an arm and lives away, his second son Jean has lost part of his leg bone, and youngest son Coco lives at home, considering himself an orphan--"my mother died and my father might as well have."
Into this environment comes Andree Heuschling (stunning Christa Theret), a beautiful model with a questionable background who seeks to be Renior's new model (who she says was sent by Renoir's dead wife). She quickly falls in love with son Jean when he returns from war. Jean's fascination with movies is shown in various early silent showings. In real life, Jean Renoir became a renowned director with Andree as his wife and leading lady. He eventually ended up doing films in Hollywood. One very humorous scene between Jean and his older brother (who is a stage actor) has the brother saying, "There will never be a great French film director. We are not made for it."
The scenes of the countryside, the Mediterranean in the distance, the flood of light, the beautiful women who pose for Renoir or become the servants who carry him to enjoy a painting moment sitting in the river. All of these are a joy to watch.
Renoir (2013) ****
Into this environment comes Andree Heuschling (stunning Christa Theret), a beautiful model with a questionable background who seeks to be Renior's new model (who she says was sent by Renoir's dead wife). She quickly falls in love with son Jean when he returns from war. Jean's fascination with movies is shown in various early silent showings. In real life, Jean Renoir became a renowned director with Andree as his wife and leading lady. He eventually ended up doing films in Hollywood. One very humorous scene between Jean and his older brother (who is a stage actor) has the brother saying, "There will never be a great French film director. We are not made for it."
The scenes of the countryside, the Mediterranean in the distance, the flood of light, the beautiful women who pose for Renoir or become the servants who carry him to enjoy a painting moment sitting in the river. All of these are a joy to watch.
Renoir (2013) ****
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