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The River must be seen in its original Technicolor; it is difficult, if not impossible, to imagine anyone fully enjoying this wonderful film while watching a black-and-white TV print. Adapted by director Jean Renoir and Rumer Godden from Godden's own novel, the film is set on the banks of West Bengal. The central character is teenaged British girl Harriet Patricia Walters, the offspring of a jute-mill owner Esmond Knight and his wife Nora Swinburne. Harriet and her best friend Valerie Adrienne Corri harbor a crush for a dashing visitor named Captain John Thomas E. Breen, who in turn is preoccupied with the hauntingly beautiful Indian girl Melanie Radha Shri Ram. This languid state of affairs is shaken up by unexpected tragedy involving Harriet's impulsive brother Richard Foster. The real star of the proceedings is the titular river, exquisitely color-photographed by Claude Renoir Jean's nephew and his Indian assistant Ramanda Sen Gupta. The apotheosis of Jean Renoir's lifelong fascination with India, The River served as a launching pad for the directorial career of Satyajit Ray, who met and befriended Renoir during the shooting of this film.
Condition:NEW. Brand New Factory Sealed
Product Details
Actors: Nora Swinburne, Esmond Knight, Arthur Shields
Directors: Jean Renoir
Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Number of discs: 1
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)
DVD Release Date: April 21, 2015
Run Time: 99 minutes
Additional Features
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
High-definition digital transfer from the 2004 Film Foundation restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Archival introduction to the film by director Jean Renoir
Around the River, a 60-minute 2008 documentary by Arnaud Mandagaran about the making of the film
Interview from 2004 with Martin Scorsese
Audio interview from 2000 with producer Ken McEldowney
New visual essay by film writer Paul Ryan, featuring rare behind-the-scenes stills
Trailer
PLUS: An essay by film scholar Ian Christie and original production notes by Renoir
Cast & Crew
Nora Swinburne The Mother
Esmond Knight The Father
Arthur Shields Mr. John
Thomas E. Breen Capt. John
Suprova Mukerjee Nan
Patricia Walters Harriet
Adrienne Corri Valerie
Radha Melanie
Richard Foster Bogey
Penelope Wilkinson Elizabeth
Jane Harris Muffie
Jennifer Harris Mouse
Cecelia Wood Victoria
Ram Singh Sajjan Singh
Nimai Barik Kanu
Triak Jetley Anil
June Hillman Voice Only
Technical Credits
Jean Renoir Director, Screenwriter
Bansi Chandragupta Set Decoration/Design
George Gale Editor
Rumer Godden Screenwriter
Ramananda Sen Gupta Cinematographer
Eugène Lourié Production Designer
Kenneth McEldownery Producer
Satyajit Ray Asst. Director
Claude Renoir Cinematographer
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