A DAY IN THE COUNTRY (1934, FRANCE)

HULUPALOOZA!! (Post 4 of 12)

A Day in the Country is Jean Renoir's forty-minute unfinished romantic romp through the countryside that is not without it's charms and is somewhat reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman's later Smiles of a Summer Night. The problem is that the film was never completed due to bad weather and the short version we see is a later edited version. This certainly would not be the first Renoir film to go to if you haven't seen any of his movies before (My choice would be Rules of the Game), but to tell you the truth, for me, Renoir films tend to get better through repeated viewings.

Maybe I'll give this one another shot. 

ZERO FOR CONDUCT (1933, FRANCE)

HULUPALOOZA!! (Post 3 of 12)

Zero for Conduct

Jean Vigo's fanciful film about boarding school boys rebelling against their oppressive school masters is serious, yet silly, realistic, yet surreal. It did influence many later films like The 400 Blows and If... among many others. I can't say I'm totally onboard the Vigo bandwagon, but at just 41 minutes, it wouldn't hurt to watch it a couple of times and see how this one moves you.

BOUDU SAVED FROM DROWNING (1932, FRANCE)

HULUPALOOZA!! (Post 2 of 12)

Boudo Saved From Drowning

I remember when Down and Out in Beverly Hills came out in 1986, seeing reviews mention that it was a remake of the 1932 French film listed here. Down and Out in Beverly Hills was pretty funny, depicting how a affluent Beverly Hills family takes in a derelict that attempts to drown himself in their swimming pool and this derelict eventually takes over and changes their life.

Boudu Saved From Drowning  follows the same plotline in a Parisian setting and is fun...though didn't generate as many laughs as the later film. The culture and class clash here is well depicted as the family tries to reform the tramp, but he ends up reforming them even more. And the final wedding scene is a hoot.

Director Jean Renoir explores these class differences in even greater depth in Rules of the Game.

THE BLUE ANGEL (1930, GERMANY)

HULUPALOOZA!! (Post 1 of 12)

Ever since I got Hulu Plus, it has proven to be a real help in going through many of the movies on the 1001 list, particularly the foreign films and other Criterion releases. I'll do twelve posts this month  from the 1001 list available on  Hulu Plus. But that's just the tip of the iceberg! There's a lot more than that to go through!

So there's no time for further explanation, as I need to get a move on cause I'm certainly not getting any younger!...and they could be dropping some French film from the cue as I type! It's time for Hulupalooza! (Ta da!)

The Blue Angel

I haven't seen The Blue Angel since I took a film class at Georgia State in the 80's. It is the famous story of an aging academic brought down by a showgirl. Marlene Dietrich became a star after this film, but for me, it's the downfall of Emil Janning's teacher that is the heart of the movie. 

I did wonder a bit why the showgirl hooks up with the teacher in the first place. He's a professor! You know how little they make? No matter, it's sad and the tragic last shot of Jannings is unforgettable.

Random note: Francine Prose wrote Blue Angel, one of my favorite novels. It is not based on the movie, but makes references to the original film and does follow a similar plotline.