While I was not wowed by "Renoir", I must admit that the film was very watchable and absolutely gorgeous. The cinematography is rather stunning--and the setting certainly helped. Additionally, while the film is filled with nudity (since it's about a nude model), it's not gratuitous and Christa Theret (Andrée) is stunningly beautiful.
The film is set during WWI. Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the famous painter, is old and infirmed yet still actively painting. It all begins with a new model, Andrée, coming to the Renoir mansion in order to be the artist's new model. At this point in Renoir's career, this means mostly nude modeling and much of the film consists of the two working together. About midway through the film, Pierre-Auguste's son, Jean, arrives at the home. He was badly injured in the war and is there to recuperate. Not surprisingly, eventually Jean falls in love with Andrée--the woman who would eventually become his wife.
While I liked the film very much and liked learning more about Jean, the very famous French director, I was not in love with the story. Much of it is because the film is about Jean's great love, Andrée, though in real life, he later divorced her and remarried. This kind of kills the film for me, as the film seemed to portray it like some great love--but this really wasn't the case in reality. Still, it is well made and engaging.
The film is set during WWI. Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the famous painter, is old and infirmed yet still actively painting. It all begins with a new model, Andrée, coming to the Renoir mansion in order to be the artist's new model. At this point in Renoir's career, this means mostly nude modeling and much of the film consists of the two working together. About midway through the film, Pierre-Auguste's son, Jean, arrives at the home. He was badly injured in the war and is there to recuperate. Not surprisingly, eventually Jean falls in love with Andrée--the woman who would eventually become his wife.
While I liked the film very much and liked learning more about Jean, the very famous French director, I was not in love with the story. Much of it is because the film is about Jean's great love, Andrée, though in real life, he later divorced her and remarried. This kind of kills the film for me, as the film seemed to portray it like some great love--but this really wasn't the case in reality. Still, it is well made and engaging.