Déjeuner sur l'herbe, Le (1959)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Jean Renoir

Writer:

Jean Renoir (writer)

Release Date:

11 November 1959 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

Etienne Alexis, a candidate for president of the new Europe, is a scientist promoting artificial insemination...

Plot Keywords:

Biology | Camping | Girl Scout | Goat | Nudity

Cast

Paul Meurisse	...	Etienne Alexis
Charles Blavette	...	Gaspard (as Blavette)
André Brunot	...	Le Curé
Régine Blaess	...	Claire (as Régine Blaes)
Marguerite Cassan	...	Mme Poignant
Robert Chandeau	...	Laurent
Jacques Danoville	...	Mr. Poignant
Hélène Duc	...	Isabelle
Paulette Dubost	...	Forestier
Ghislaine Dumont	...	Magda
Jacqueline Fontel	...	Michelet
Micheline Gary	...	Madeleine
Jean-Pierre Granval	...	Ritou
Michel Herbault	...	Moutet
Raymond Jourdan	...	Eustache

Also Known As:

Lunch on the Grass
Picnic on the Grass
Aamiainen ruohikolla (Finland) [fi]
Comida sobre la hierba, La (Spain) [es]
Frühstück im Grünen, Das (West Germany) [de]
Picnic alla francese (Italy) [it]
Progevma sti hloi (Greece) [el]
Um Piquenique no Campo (Portugal) [pt]

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Auvergne, France

Company:

Compagnie Jean Renoir

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bonheur, Le (1965)

A beguiling film

Seems to represent Renoir bringing his classic concerns into a modern format - the movie begins with a (slightly leaden) satire of modern media, and the plot relies heavily on artificial insemination, the politics of a modern Europe, the politics of image, and preeminently the relationship between science (here representing repression and fastidiousness and self-denial) and nature (here representing a rustic, lusty, idyllic, semi-slapstick integrity). That sounds a bit condescending, and indeed it s an old man's movie. But it's also a very good one, with superb choreography of the elements and many moments of bliss (the shot of the loosened-up professor beaming as he rides a motor scooter is priceless). Sadly, it s hard to get beyond the wretched quality of the Eastmancolor print - there s virtually no green left in it, just a sickly pink. A restored print would surely add to the movie s emotional lushness, perhaps revealing whole layers of additional subtlety in the design, and giving it a sharpened modernity. Even as it stands, a beguiling film.