Accessible and original analysis of all Jean Renoir's sound films,
including those he made in Hollywood - this is the first major study to
appear for a number of years and brings new light on some of the
director's most celebrated films. Illuminating account of critical
debates concerning Renoir, and focusing on hitherto neglected areas such
as gender, nation and ethnicity the book asks us to rethink our
understanding of Renoir's political commitment. Traces his output from
the silent period to the age of television, tying his work into a
fast-shifting, socio-historical context. Detailed analyses of his sound
films map his evolving style while individual chapters cover Renoir's
career and writings, critical debates, the silent and early sound films,
the Popular Front period, Renoir amèricain and the later films.