LA POSTE FRANCE on 29 September 1986 issued a series of 10 stamps dedicated to the 50th anniversary of French cinema, among these being Jean Renoir's "Grand Illusion" which was featured one of the stamps, us
ing the Héliogravure printing method.
It should be noted that the French Cinematheque celebrated the 50th anniversary of its creation on 2 September 1986. It was founded by Henri Langlois and Georges Franju, who were quickly surrounded by friends and collaborators. This cinematheque was not the first, but it very quickly became the most prestigious, the one that is internationally recognised by all filmmakers as their "house of cinema". To commemorate this 50th anniversary, the La Poste issued an exceptional set of postage stamps retracing the historical continuity of French cinema, its authors and its actors, one of these being Jean Renoir.
French auteur Jean Renoir (15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979), son of the painter, was born in Montmartre and largely reared by his mother’s cousin. He served in the cavalry in World War I, was wounded, and became a flier.
French auteur Jean Renoir (15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979), son of the painter, was born in Montmartre and largely reared by his mother’s cousin. He served in the cavalry in World War I, was wounded, and became a flier.
He directed his first film in 1924, eight silent movies would follow, and then he turned to sound in 1931. By the time he got to "Grand Illusion" in 1937, he had twenty films under his proverbial belt. Renoir had been struck by the directorial work of Erich von Stroheim, and so it must have given him particular pleasure to recruit the older man as an actor opposite Pierre Fresnay and Jean Gabin. One of Renoir’s other great filmic masterpieces, "The Rules of the Game" (1939), was a complete flop. These two films are now held to be among the finest ever made.
Renoir served with the French Army Film Service from 1939, that is, well before World War II broke out, and fled to America in 1940 and became a US citizen after the war.
The output of his films slowed, with his last appearing in 1969, but Renoir wrote a good deal, including the memoirs, "Renoir, My Father" (1962) and "My Life and My Films" (1974).
The output of his films slowed, with his last appearing in 1969, but Renoir wrote a good deal, including the memoirs, "Renoir, My Father" (1962) and "My Life and My Films" (1974).
He died in 1979.
No comments:
Post a Comment