Jean Renoir, unshackled, at home and in Technicolor

Stage and Spectacle: Three Films by Jean Renoir

Criterion Collection, $80

The curtain rises: After spending a disappointing exile in Hollywood during World War II, the great French director Jean Renoir of “Grand Illusion” and “The Rules of the Game” fame returned home. Finally free of the restraints of the studio system, Renoir expressed his joie de vivre in three Technicolor souffles examining the theater, love and private and professional masks: 1953’s “The Golden Coach,” 1955’s “French Cancan” and 1956’s “Elena and Her Men.”

Renoir, the son of Impressionist painter Pierre Auguste Renoir, collaborated with his nephew, cinematographer Claude Renoir, on these remarkable films.

Each movie gave Jean Renoir the opportunity to explore and experiment with Technicolor just as his father did with color on his canvases.

The three films feature a new high-definition transfer with restored image and sound.

The Golden Coach

Set to the music of Antonio Vivaldi, “The Golden Coach” is Renoir’s valentine to the theater. Although considered one of Renoir’s best and most stylized films, “Golden Coach” didn’t initially click with audiences, but slowly and steadily built its reputation.

The comedy-drama set in the 18th century was built around the formidable presence of Italian actress Anna Magnani, who plays the fiery star of an Italian commedia dell’arte company that recently has arrived in South America to perform. She ends up the object of the affection of many men, including a bullfighter and a viceroy.

Extras: A vintage introduction to the film by the late Renoir, who comes across as a foxy grandfather with a sly sense of humor; a video introduction from the 1980s with Martin Scorsese, who restored and rereleased the film; the first part of a three-part TV interview of Renoir by director Jacque Rivette and production stills.

*

French Cancan

Renoir’s 1955 musical drama is a feast for the eyes and ears. It reteamed Renoir with his favorite prewar leading man, Jean Gabin, who had starred in several of the director’s films, including “Grand Illusion” and “The Lower Depths.” Gabin shines under Renoir’s guidance as a charming impresario who opens the famed Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris while dallying with the affections of a belly dancer and a young working girl turned cancan star. Look for the great Parisian chanteuse Edith Piaf in a cameo.

Extras: An informative introduction to the film by Peter Bogdanovich, a recently recorded interview with the film’s set designer Max Douy, the second part of Rivette’s interview with Renoir and production stills.

*

Elena and Her Men

Ingrid Bergman stars in a rare comedic outing as a beautiful but destitute Polish princess living in turn-of-the-century Paris. Several men, including a wealthy elderly widower, a powerful Army general on the verge of usurping the government and the general’s handsome friend, court the vivacious Elena. Bergman, who has never looked more radiant, seems to be enjoying herself in this light, fluffy comedy, and Jean Marais exudes panache and charm as the handsome general. American actor Mel Ferrer’s performance as Elena’s other suitor suffers because his voice is dubbed into French.

Extras: An introduction to the film by Renoir, the second half of a 1993 BBC documentary on Renoir, the third part of Rivette’s interview with the filmmaker and a collection of production stills.

-- Susan King