Jean Renoir - Le Carrosse d'or AKA Golden Coach (1953)

Set in 18th-century South America, The Golden Coach (Le Carrosse D'Or) stars Anna Magnani as an earthy Commedia Del Arte performer. Magnani is lusted after by diplomat Duncan Lamont, who leaves both his job and his mistress to pursue the sexy actress. Also vying for Magnani's favors are a bullfighter and a nobleman. Magnani tries to avert bloodshed by giving away the Golden Coach that had been bestowed upon her by the expansive Lamont...





Le Carrosse d’Or is the film which marked the return of Jean Renoir to European film-making after his 13 year stay in the United States. It is a lavish production, beautifully filmed in colour, with music provided by Vivaldi. The film was made in English and filmed in Rome, and three versions of the film were released (in English, French and Italian).

Not as garish or flippant as Renoir’s subsequent films (French Cancan and Eléna et les hommes), Le Carrosse d’Or possesses a melancholic realism which those films lack. Renoir presents us with an overly romantic, almost theatrical view of life in a Spanish colony in the 18th Century. However this is not a problem because the film’s major theme is how, in the eyes of the film’s central character, Camilla, real life and theatre are inextricably merged. The film might well have been shot on a stage – it would still have worked.

This is an exceptional film, but that is only partly due to Renoir’s masterful direction. The main reason for the film’s success is down to an incredible performance from its lead actress, Anna Magnani. Her portrayal of Camille is both engrossing and intensely moving, reminiscent of the performance of a truly great opera singer. Everything we see and feel is from her perspective so that the spectator almost becomes a part of the character she is portraying. Renoir is renowned for getting the best from his actors, and in this film Renoir has hit the jackpot with Magnani. (James Travers - filmsdefrance)







La carroza de oro
Una pequeña ciudad de América Central en el siglo XVIII. Camilla, la estrella de una compañía de teatro, debe elegir entre tres hombres: El vice-Rey le ofrece su magnífica carroza de oro. Un joven oficial español le propone sobreponerse a los indios. Ramón, un torero, le ofrece comaprtir una parte de su gloria...

Renoir nos muestra un juego entre el teatro y la vida en donde desplaza su pequeño teatro hacia el mundo de la commedia dell'arte y crea una auténtica pieza de orfebrería cinematográfica sobre la vanidad humana y la seducción amorosa.





Au XVIIIIe siècle, dans un petit pays d'Amérique du Sud, la belle Camilla est la vedette passionnée et exubérante d'une troupe de théâtre. Trois hommes la courtisent : le vice-roi, un bel Italien et un torero célèbre. La belle ne sait quel soupirant choisir. Elle sème le désordre à la cour et s'attire la réprobation générale quand le vice-roi lui offre un carrosse d'or.





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