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| FRENCH CANCAN (1955) | |
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The
second part of Jean Renoir trilogy about the love for the stage is a
colorful story about the vaudeville manager Henri Danglard (Jean Gabin)
and his rejuvenation of an old frolicsome dance called the cancan.
Danglard is more of an artist than a manager as his ultimate goal is
self-expression, which he projects to the audience through the performances of
a large number of artists. These artist have all been
discovered through Danglard's incredible instincts to find talent among
ordinary people and turn them into celebrities over night. The
skillful Danglard also loves the critical audience as he seeks their
approval through a violent flow of applause.
The story begins in successful cafe, Le Paravent Chinois, with vaudeville performances that heavily depend on Lola de Castro's (María Félix) performance. Lola is also Danglard's mistress, but what the audience does not know is that Danglard spends every penny to improve the show in order to conquer the audience's approval. This leads Le Paravent Chinois into bankruptcy, but it does not bother Danglard as he is aware of the existing financial potential in Paris. This means that Danglard is self-assured in that he will find another sponsor for his new project, which is the French Cancan. The quest for the French Cancan becomes a difficult struggle as Danglard must face jealous mistresses and boyfriends, physical harm, and much more. However, this does not prevent Danglard to continue to strive to create his final masterpiece, which will become the initiation of the Moulin Rouge. Jean Renoir's French Cancan becomes a root for self-expression as he nose dives into his own artistic talent where he uses the cancan dance as an allegory for self-expressive freedom and artistic originality. The film also became a reunion between two cinematic titans, Gabin and Renoir, as they made some brilliant films together almost two decades ago. Gabin becomes Renoir's alter ego in this cinematic event as he displays Renoir's love for the arts through rejuvenation of the cancan. It should be mentioned that Gabin was personally offended by Renoir's escape to United States during World War II and his delayed return to France after the war. Nonetheless, these two men came together and created a brilliant cinematic experience that honors the arts and stage performances. |
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France / Italy |
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| REVIEWED | |
| 9/16/2004 | |
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The Internet Movie Database. |
