The River
✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
France, United Kingdom, India · 1951
1h 39m
Director Jean Renoir
Starring Nora Swinburne, Esmond Knight, Arthur Shields, Suprova Mukerjee
Genre Drama, Romance
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Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature—shot entirely on location in India—is a visual tour de force. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film eloquently contrasts the growing pains of three young women with the immutability of the Bengal river around which their daily lives unfold. Enriched by Renoir’s subtle understanding and appreciation for India and its people, The River gracefully explores the fragile connections between transitory emotions and everlasting creation.
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The gorgeous Technicolor photography alone makes The River worth the watch, but it's also just a beautifully told coming-of-age story. I love the way it gives weight to the lives of young girls. I was also struck by how Renoir portrays India with so much reverence, since so many other Western films tend to exoticize and stereotype the country.