The Elusive Corporal

While it's easy to see how Renoir was out of step with film making trends in Europe in the early 60's, clinging steadfastly to classicism in the age of Fellini and Godard, this is a very respectable late career effort from a master with nothing to prove. The flow of scenes is effortless, and the story is not without interest, focusing on a captured corporal's relentless quest for freedom. Cassel is engaging in the lead, and the rest of the cast falls in line.

Jean-Pierre Cassel is a french officer captured by the Nazis at the start of WWII. He's placed in a prison camp after they occupy France, and he escapes many times, recaptured each time, but his spirit remains indomitable. An interesting companion piece to "Grand Illusion" made 30 years later and focusing more on individual liberty than on group solidarity. It has an odd comic tone that undercuts the subject matter without being very funny or adding an element of satire.

Jean Renoir nascia há exatos 125 anos. Resolvi colocar em prática meu plano de assistir todos os filmes do top 10 anual da Cahiers du Cinéma, apesar de pouco assistido, esse Renoir ficou em nono lugar no top de 1962. Espécie de resposta francesa ao Stalag 17, em que Renoir mescla o drama com a medida certa de humor como fizera Wilder, mas com um resultado geral mais belo, porém menos efetivo que seu companheiro austro-húngaro. DVDRip no MakingOff.

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