Criterion Club: Renoir's La Chienne with John Anzalone

Join Professor John Anzalone for a lively look at La Chienne in an ongoing Renoir fest, first timers also welcome!

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A WATCH AT HOME EXPERIENCE, JOHN WILL PRESENT STILL AND CLIPS FROM THE MOVIE TO ENHANCE THE DISCUSSION.

La Chienne (1932)
After a proving to backers in 1931 that he could handle the new technology of film sound by making a commercially successful short comic film, Jean Renoir obtained funding to make his first feature length sound film. Based on a now forgotten novel of the period, Renoir made La Chienne, a film of experimental daring. La Chienne tells the story of Lulu, a prostitute; Dédé, her pimp; and Michel Legrand, the older middle class man who falls for her, hard, and is then exploited by the pair. Legrand is a Sunday painter and gives some of his work to Lulu. When Dédé sells the paintings to support his bad habits, a twisted tale of painting, prostitution and passion takes the viewer to burlesque comic heights before all comes crashing down in a tragi-comic conclusion. Filled with unconventional cinematography and a constantly inventive use of sound, La Chienne also opens a door onto Jean Renoir’s relationship to his father, Auguste Renoir, by setting up a confrontation between painting and cinema. It’s Renoir’s first thirties masterpiece, and not to be missed!

The movie is available to rent on Amazon and streaming on Criterion channel. For anyone who does not have access, DM me and I will try to set up a small screening party at my house prior to the event.

Free street and on-site parking available