Abstract
In this chapter, the author talks about Henri Agel's praise of Jean Renoir, and of Renoir's film, The River, in order to revisit the polarizing of the moral and political responses to Renoir's work, and more specifically what Agel's now neglected approach to cinema might still have to offer current debates within Renoir studies and film studies per se that pose the philosophical question of whether, and if so how, film thinks. Her ensuing reading of Renoir's The River shows, processes of signification - verbal and written, painterly and filmic - can combine with the processes of contemplation. And it is through such attention to contemplation and signification in her reading of the film, that the moral and spiritual aspects central to Agel's work also acquire a transformative, and political, dimension.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | A Companion to Jean Renoir |
| Publisher | Blackwell Publishing Ltd |
| Pages | 313-327 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781444338539 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Apr 2013 |
Keywords
- Contemplation
- Henri Agel
- Jean Renoir
- Philosophy
- Politics
- The River