La Chienne (1931)

[Scottie]

La Chienne (The Criterion Collection)

Jean Renoir’s ruthless love triangle tale, his second sound film, is a true precursor to his brilliantly bitter The Rules of the Game, displaying all of the filmmaker’s visual genius and fully imbued with his profound sense of humanity. A hangdog Michel Simon cuts a tragic figure as an unhappily married cashier and amateur painter who becomes so smitten with a prostitute that he refuses to see the obvious: that she and her pimp boyfriend are taking advantage of him. Renoir’s elegant compositions and camera movements carry this twisting and turning narrative—a stinging commentary on class and sexual divides—to an unforgettably ironic conclusion.

Disc Features
New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Introduction to the film by director Jean Renoir from 1967
New interview with Renoir scholar Christopher Faulkner
New restoration of On purge bébé (1931), Renoir’s first sound film, also starring Michel Simon and never before on Blu-ray or DVD in the U.S.
Jean Renoir le patron: “Michel Simon” (1966), a ninety-minute French television program featuring a conversation between Renoir and Simon, moderated by filmmaker Jacques Rivette
New English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by film scholar and critic Ginette Vincendeau

New cover by Blutch

[John_Drake]

Thanks for posting this.

This is my most anticipated title for this year so far.

[javi92]

Always happy to see more Renoir make it on to blu. Fantastic news!

[jacobb1313]

It's almost 2.5 Renoirs!: the extras are outstanding: On purge bébé (1931), and doc “Michel Simon” (1966). I'm in.

[pro-bassoonist]

La Chienne Blu-ray REVIEW



Outstanding restoration

Also, when you get the release, definitely watch the entire documentary from Jacques Rivette. It is excellent.

And a reminder that Fritz Lang's Scarlet Street is already out on Blu-ray via Kino Classics. Another outstanding film very much worth owning







Pro-B