Monday, March 6, 2017
065 - The Golden Coach, 1953, France. Dir. Jean Renoir.
What a delightful little film this is.
This is a French film about an Italian acting troupe going to a Spanish colony in South America.
Spoken in English.
It takes place in the 1700s and the Italian acting troupe works in Commedia dell'arte.
Commedia dell'arte!
What is that?
Harlequins. Jesters. Colorful clothes. Masks. Poses. Pantomime. Juggling. Tumbling. Acrobatics.
Don Antonio leads the troupe. He plays Pantalone in the show. Pantalone is a classic character who wants money. A Shylock. The puppet Punch from Punch & Judy developed from Pantalone.
They come off the boat from Italy. They arrive in Peru.
Welcome to the New World! How do you like it?
It will be nicer when it is finished!
The man shows them their "theatre." The man is Aubergiste.
Aubergiste is a shyster. He is played by William C. Tubbs, an American living in South America. We saw him earlier this year in The Wages of Fear (1953) (010, January 10), as Bill O'Brien, a shyster, an American living in South America.
The shyster is swindling the Shylock.
The actor playing the money-grubber is getting grubbed by the grubbing of the money-grubber.
He wants them to clean it up. He wants them to fix it up. He wants them to pay him!
80%.
Wait. Actors pay their agents 20%. He wants them to pay him 80% and keep 20%. And he is not their agent.
After cleaning up and repairing the theatre for him.
Free manual labor. Lucrative artistic labor.
The actors protest. The actors negotiate. The actors are poor negotiators. The actors give in.
God bless artists.
Now for the show!
The actors put on the show.
The audience consists of native and mixed peasants who sit politely but do not follow the action.
The troupe is losing money.
What will they do?
A bull fighter appears. He is the most popular man in the country. Their fortunes rest on him.
If he likes the show, then the nation will follow his lead.
He likes the show.
The audience follows his lead.
All is well.
Until they are paid. Paid nearly nothing. Most peasants do not pay because they cannot afford it. So they attend the show for free. Most of the middle class does not pay because they are friends with Aubergiste and he does not charge them.
Then the real story begins.
Anna Magnani plays Camilla, who plays Columbina in the show.
Forget a love triangle. She has a love pyramid. She has suitors coming out her ears, and let us just say that this situation can be problematic.
Felipe travels with the troupe and claims her.
The bull fighter, Ramon, sees her perform and falls for her. Passionately.
The viceroy, Ferdinand, is pleased with her and falls for her. Naturally.
Ferdinand gives her a beautiful necklace. She will throw it to Ramon impulsively after a bullfight. That might not be a good idea.
Ferdinand gives Camilla the golden coach.
His mistress the Marquise wanted it.
Oops.
Trouble is brewing.
Three men love one woman. Two women love one man.
Jealousy is working overtime. Time-and-a-half. Double time.
All will be resolved somehow.
After all, this is commedia.
But not before a showdown.
What will happen to Camilla?
What will happen to the golden coach?
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