Don't miss "what might be the finest restoration of a classic film this year: Jean Renoir's extraordinary 1951 drama The River. This Technicolor masterpiece is not only one of the most beautifully photographed films of all time, it is also one of the most intelligent and moving dramas ever put on the screen. Based on Rumer Godden's novel, The River takes place in India in the years between the end of World War II and the dawn of an independent India" and tells the story of three young daughters of British families who all fall in love with a visiting American veteran seeking solace following war injuries. "While the story is clearly moving and humane, the physical production is staggering in its beauty. Rarely has on-location Technicolor cinematography been used with such skill and power, and the India captured by Renoir's camera is a wild riot of color, movement and emotion. This is not mere travelogue filmmaking - The River is literally a living/breathing India come to full life. The sounds and vibrancy of the culture are presented without any notion of Western-style exotica: India exists here as a force unto itself, and the viewer is drawn in to its power and majesty. (Film Threat)
1951, color, 1 hour 39 minutes, France/India/USA