A gorgeous movie. But despite what Renoir claims, it isn't about the difference between theater and real life; it's about our complete devotion to illusion. After all, we're watching an improbable story about a Comedia Del'Arte troup in Peru played... (read more) A gorgeous movie. But despite what Renoir claims, it isn't about the difference between theater and real life; it's about our complete devotion to illusion. After all, we're watching an improbable story about a Comedia Del'Arte troup in Peru played by movie actors speaking *English* (not Spanish, not Italian) in the kind of acting style only found in movies by Ophuls and Renoir. Yet we don't find it ridiculous- we're riveted. Because reality is depressing, and illusion is gorgeous. A golden coach is way better than a gas-guzzling SUV.

The end of this film is absolutely delightful, and yet a little too abrupt. Renoir's homage to the life of an actor is almost lost in this fun tale about a commedia del'arte troupe arriving in the new world and its star who has all sorts of men fawn... (read more) The end of this film is absolutely delightful, and yet a little too abrupt. Renoir's homage to the life of an actor is almost lost in this fun tale about a commedia del'arte troupe arriving in the new world and its star who has all sorts of men fawning over her. It is a joy to watch the commedia del'arte performance complete with masked stock characters and to watch the balancing act of Anna Magnani, but there wasn't enough leading up to that final moment to really land it.

Typically described as a love letter to acting and the theater, this is one of Renoir's finest, latter-day films. It's a credit to Renoir's humanism that his characters can be selfish, impetuous and jealous to an unflattering degree yet remain very s... (read more) Typically described as a love letter to acting and the theater, this is one of Renoir's finest, latter-day films. It's a credit to Renoir's humanism that his characters can be selfish, impetuous and jealous to an unflattering degree yet remain very sympathetic. It's even more striking how this sensibility's reflected in his compositions - they recall the inclusive, democratic nature of his father's day-in-the-life paintings, where every person is an equally important element in the picture. Like "The Rules of the Game," the long shots are often multi-layered compositions that constantly suggest a film divided into multiple worlds - not just in class, but even from stage to reality. The fake mirror gag, the way Camilla, the lead actress, is observed from off-stage, the way characters observe the opposite end of society in rooms or courtyards through partially obstructed windows and doorways...all this builds to an ending that's almost cruel in the way it separates the audience from the performers, or "the so-called real life" from the stage.

But up until then, Camilla and the others rarely recognize these divisions, and as they move back and forth between the two, their behavior smears the distinction between performance and reality. The way Camilla expresses her anger through a guitar, the king's obligatory wig, the obvious refusals to mingle between classes...even backstage, when the actors dress, the dividing sheets are gorgeously designed like the backdrops seen in their shows. It's a constant reminder of how these people act out their perceived roles in real life as well as on stage.

Actually, the more I think about it, the ending feels more sobering than cruel. If Renoir's insisting on divisions between the stage and real life, maybe it's because performance in life is doomed to dissatisfaction. At one point, the king laments that "no one dreams of anything else. Where gold commands, laughter vanishes." He's referring to the roles everyone's mapped out for themselves at the expense of living.

Performance on stage is a different matter. Early in the film, Camilla's bitter, tired and disillusioned with acting. However, her bitterness is based in professionalism. Even when their financial potential looks particularly grim after a successful performance, a fact that's hardly lost on Camilla, she returns to the stage time and time again. Not surprisingly, Camilla's most revealing moments often deal with conscious play-acting - whether it's mocking societal manners over dinner with the king or, more significantly, when she's on the other side of a performance, enjoying a bullfight.

Self-consicous stunts can be fairly hollow, as if being self-referential alone will somehow deliver so much more, but that's never the case here.

While i thought the film was beautiful, i struggled with the middle of it. What makes it really work is how Camilla plays off of her potential suitors and what that says about her, specifically how being an actress affects her. Really wonderful endi... (read more) While i thought the film was beautiful, i struggled with the middle of it. What makes it really work is how Camilla plays off of her potential suitors and what that says about her, specifically how being an actress affects her. Really wonderful ending that makes up for the somewhat slow middle.