Toni is a 1935 French drama film directed by Jean Renoir and starring Charles Blavette, Celia Montalván and Édouard Delmont. The credits mention no writers other than the story writer Jacques Levert, but the script was later confirmed to be authored by Renoir and Carl Einstein.[1] It is an early example of the casting of non-professional actors and on-location shooting - both of which would influence the Left Bank of the French New Wave movement. Examining the romantic interactions between a group of immigrants (both from abroad and other parts of France) working around a quarry and a farm in Provence, it is also generally considered a major precursor to the Italian neorealist movement, for its concerns on the working class , use of non-professional actors and on-location shooting.
| Toni | |
|---|---|
 Original Movie Poster | |
| Directed by | Jean Renoir |
| Screenplay by | Jean Renoir (uncredited) Carl Einstein (uncredited) |
| Story by | Jacques Levert |
| Produced by | Pierre Gaut |
| Starring | Charles Blavette Celia Montalván Jenny Hélia Édouard Delmont Max Dalban |
| Cinematography | Claude Renoir |
| Edited by | Marguerite Renoir Suzanne de Troeye |
| Music by | Paul Bozzi |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Films Marcel Pagnol |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 80 mins. |
| Country | France |
| Languages | French Occitan Italian Spanish |
Although Toni is not among Renoir's most famous works, it continues to receive positive reviews from critics.
Plot
editLooking for a job Toni goes from Italy to Southern France. A local woman named Marie takes him in as her tenant and becomes his lover. But when the Spanish guestworker Josepha comes to town, Toni falls for her. To his disappointment Josepha falls for Albert, an educated and wealthier man from the northern France. Albert/Josepha and Toni/Marie have a double wedding, but Toni cannot hide that Josepha is still his great love. After Marie has thrown him out of her house his obsession with Josepha grows even more pronounced. Toni spends his time observing Josepha's house from a hut in the mountain. Albert becomes increasingly more abusive, so Josepha and her paramour Gabi decide to steal some money and run away. Albert catches her in the act and cruelly beats her, and she in revenge kills him with his gun. Meanwhile Toni finds out the plan from Gabi and forces Gabi to go with him to check on Josepha. Seeing Josepha in trouble, Gabi takes the money and runs away, leaving Toni with Josepha. Toni sacrifices himself in order to cover up for her. He runs to meet with Josepha in an agreed location, but is shot dead before he can reach there.
Cast
edit- Charles Blavette as Antonio 'Toni' Canova
- Celia Montalván as Josefa
- Édouard Delmont as Fernand
- Max Dalban as Albert
- Jenny Hélia as Marie
- Michel Kovachevitch as Sebastian
- Andrex as Gabi
- Paul Bozzi as the guitar player
Production
editFilming was based out of Marcel Pagnol's studios in Marseille and shot entirely on location in the South of France.[2]
Some literature indicates that Luchino Visconti, one of the founding members of the neo-realist film movement, has worked as assistant director on the film, although this is disputed.[3][4] Most recent scholarship seems to agree that Visconti first worked with Renoir in 1936 on A Day in the Country.[5]
Reception
editToni has received positive reviews from critics since its release; review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports 100% approval among six critics. The acclaimed filmmaker Wes Anderson has named Toni as a favorite film of his.[6] In April 2019, a restored version of the film was selected to be shown in the Cannes Classics section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.[7]
References
edit- ^ Renoir, Jean (1989). Renoir on Renoir: Interviews, Essays, and Remarks. CUP Archive. ISBN 978-0-521-38593-0.
- ^ O'Shaughnessy p.86
- ^ Cardullo, Bert (2006). Screening the Stage: Studies in Cinedramatic Art. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-3-03911-029-2.
- ^ Thomson, David (2012-10-16). The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-374-19189-4.
- ^ Vincendeau, Ginette. "Toni: A True Story Told by Jean Renoir". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
- ^ Goodsell, Luke (June 8, 2012). "Five Favorite Films with Wes Anderson". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
- ^ "Cannes Classics 2019". Festival de Cannes. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
Bibliography
edit- O'Shaughnessy, Martin. Jean Renoir. Manchester University Press, 20 Oct 2000.
External links
edit- Toni at IMDb
- An essay by Tom Milne on Toni
- Toni: A True Story Told by Jean Renoir an essay by Ginette Vincendeau at the Criterion Collection