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| GOLDEN COACH (1953) | |
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Golden
Coach is the first film of a loosely put together trilogy
with themes of love and life on the stage made by Jean Renoir. This
film is also a salutation to the French people as Renoir returns to to France after
having fled during World War II and trying to make it in Hollywood.
However, Renoir had much difficulty dealing with influential movie
producers in Hollywood as they often kept Renoir under strict
supervision. This supervision made Renoir feel somewhat strangled
when it cames to artistic freedom, which is also expressed in this
trilogy.
The Golden Coach takes place in 18th century Peru where the Spanish viceroy of Peru has purchased a golden coach from Italy in order to symbolically display the might of the colony. A small Italian theater troupe trails the Golden Coach as they voyage on the same ship across the Atlantic to the new world. When the theater troupe arrives to the town where they have been promised a job with several luxuries they find a pitiful small town with no commodities as promised in the employment letter. Deprived of hope they begin to build a small stage where they can perform and maybe earn enough to return to Europe. The theater troupes unspoken star is Camilla (Anna Magnani) whom most men find delicately alluring as her mere presence absorbs all the attention from the audience as she flourish on the stage. Camilla's charisma attracts three prominent men's attention as all three fall in love with her. The protective Spanish soldier, Felipe (Paul Campbell), traveled with her across the Atlantic as he tries to charm her and win her over. The fiery and infamous toreador Ramon (Riccardo Rioli) who has been spellbound by Camilla's stage performance tries to sway her into marriage. Lastly, the Spanish viceroy Ferdinand (Duncan Lamont) is drawn to her as he finds himself being prepared to give up the Golden Coach to her. Felipe, Ramon, and Ferdinand find themselves in trouble as they are all attracted to Camilla who never will belong to one of them as she loves the stage. Jean Renoir hired a small Italian family circus to perform in the film as the theater troupe. The only film actor in the theater troupe is Anna Magnani who performs brilliantly as Renoir entirely built the film around her. The film becomes a tribute to Italian theater as much of the film surrounds theater and the mise-en-scene is symbolically a theater set. However, the strongest tribute to theater comes through Camilla's love for the stage and the audience's love for her. Renoir was also influenced by Vivaldi's music which inspired the script's Italian zest, which offers a terrific cinematic experience that is both witty, warm, and full of valuable lessons. |
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France / Italy |
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| REVIEWED | |
| 9/14/2004 | |
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The Internet Movie Database. |
