Rent The River (1951)

Not worth it. - The River review by LE

I love Scorsese and respect his opinions but I can't fathom how this is in his Top Ten films of all time. It looks great and I admire its structure and some of its themes but the acting is diabolical and it reeks of colonialism. There are also so many scenes of animal abuse in the film and in the extras that the discs become literally unwatchable. Avoid.

Verandah Comfort, River Truths - The River review by griggs

The first thing that gets you is the look of it: Technicolor heat, river light, and faces that seem genuinely sun-warmed. Harriet narrates from later on, which gives the whole film that slightly tender, slightly wincey vibe — like remembering the summer you grew up in by accident.

Captain John arrives, one-legged and war-worn, and the house immediately starts rearranging itself around him. Valerie’s interest isn’t just a crush; it’s a poke at a bruise, half flirtation and half cruelty. Melanie carries the strain of being half British and half Indian — always measured, never quite at ease. Harriet is the one with the pulse: imaginative, stubborn, trying to write her own story before someone else does it for her.

Renoir lets ritual and belief sit naturally in the day-to-day — the river as something sacred, life moving in cycles whether you buy into it or not. Then the cobra tragedy with little Bogey lands like a door slamming. After that, even the beautiful bits feel sharper. And hovering at the edge is the colonial comfort: a family’s gentle life, quietly underwritten by a jute mill. The film notices the discomfort, but doesn’t quite chase it down — which leaves you admiring it, and arguing with it, at the same time.