Welcome to “Throwback Thursdays,” a new film feature at the Stanford Daily. Every Thursday (hopefully), the Arts & Life section will publish one review highlighting older or more obscure works — sometimes both — that are currently not playing in traditional theaters. This week, we’ll be focusing on a recent screening of Jean Renoir’s 1952 masterpiece “The Golden Coach” at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, a delightful Bay Area institution dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the cinematic and visual arts.
“The Golden Coach”
For those unfamiliar with Jean Renoir’s oeuvre, “The Golden Coach” may seem like an odd introduction. As critic Andrew Sarris writes, “One must not merely look at ‘The Golden Coach.’ One must look through it to discern the cinematic brush strokes of a great artist.” For the contemporary viewer, that means not just looking past the film’s melodrama and farce to enjoy Renoir’s talents — but actively appreciating them as necessary components in Renoir’s cinematic commentary on the permeability between artist and art.
The film’s plot is shockingly frivolous. Based on a play by “Carmen” author Prosper Merimee, “The Golden Coach” concerns an eighteenth-century Italian commedia dell’arte troupe that sets out to find fortunes in the New World. Upon arriving in Peru, the members of the company are disheartened by the grimy, unrefined surroundings. When asked what he thinks of the New World, the leader of the troupe replies, “It will be nice when it is finished.” The diva of the troupe, Camilla, played by Anna Magnani, is especially disappointed. Still, the Italians realize they must make the best of their situation. Soon, they have created a niche for themselves in the Peruvian entertainment world. Camilla, already involved in an affair with another member of the company, attracts the attention of both a renowned local bullfighter and the viceroy of the colony. As a display of his affection, the viceroy gives Camilla his new, very expensive golden coach. This object will then power much of the narrative — as the coach inspire a political crisis with the viceroy, the nobility, the church and Camilla all laying claim to the coveted item.
Central to the story of “The Golden Coach” is the commedia dell’arte, a tradition characterized by its use of farcical plots, stock characters and vibrant costumes. The actors of the commedia were professionals, and their work was, by necessity, ephemeral. They would entertain their audiences in a public space before moving on to another town.
If the commedia dell’arte‘s success depended on the efforts of an ensemble of actors all working together, Renoir’s film is built around Anna Magnani’s performance as Camilla, which is neither dispensable nor overshadowed. Instead, Magnani leaves an indelible impression. Camilla is a performer, and while other actresses might have chosen to separate Camilla’s exploits in the theater from her private love life, Magnani makes no distinction between what happens on and off the stage. Camilla is brazen, headstrong and pragmatic when performing a raunchy Spanish farce or praying in church. There is no deception behind the curtain. Camilla comes across as the same person whether she is acting or not. She becomes an incredibly human character in the midst of this fantastic farce, and I laughed and empathized with her.
Indeed, throughout the film, Renoir effaces the boundary between theater and life. At the troupe’s first performance in Peru, an old woman peddles “rum and spirits” throughout the show. Her voice intermingles with the actors’ dialogue and the audience’s catcalls, and she becomes part of the show. In highlighting characters on the periphery of the plot, Renoir draws attention to life’s stock figures. Renoir uses bright colors reminiscent of a carnival not only in the scenes taking place in the theater, but also when presenting the dirty, arid landscape of the New World. Furthermore, the ridiculous plot reflects the reality of life for this troupe. If the plot is farcical and melodramatic, it is because life for Camilla in the provisional, unfinished New World has no logic or structure.
In some respects, the practices of the commedia dell’arte are not only intertwined with the plot of this film, but with Renoir’s entire career. Just as the commedia dell’arte troupe would move from place to place, Renoir the globetrotter moved from France to Hollywood to India to Italy and back to France. Just as the commedia dell’arte provided inspiration for works like Puccini’s opera “Turnadot,” Renoir was instrumental in jumpstarting the careers of noted directors like Satyajit Ray, Jacques Becker and Luchino Visconti. And just as the commedia dell’arte showcased the power of a professional acting ensemble, some of Renoir’s most revered work relies on ensemble cast working together in perfect harmony.
At the end of “The Golden Coach,” the leader of the troupe warns Camilla, “Don’t waste your time in the so-called real life … your only way to find happiness is on any stage.” But as this film argues quite elegantly, aren’t we always performing? Perhaps the grandest commedia dell’arte of all is life, touched by artifice and humanity, filled with archetypes and idiosyncratic individuals, marked by farce and drama.
Jean Renoir’s “The Golden Coach” is available to watch on Stanford’s Kanopy Streaming Video service. It is also available at the Media & Microtext Center at Green Library, with call number ZDVD 7815.
Contact Amir Abou-Jaoude at amir2 ‘at’ stanford.edu.