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French Cancan is quite possibly the greatest backstage movie ever. Paris, the 1880s: a natty, middle-aged nightclub impresario named Danglard (a sublime performance by French superstar Jean Gabin) is between engagements, and liaisons, at the moment. But he has a vision of reviving the cancan, the high-kicking dance that has fallen into disuse. He becomes convinced that he can lead this revival by casting a laundress (Françoise Arnoul) in his new show at a club called the Moulin Rouge. While a blissful entertainment in every way,
French Cancan is also director Jean Renoir's examination of the imaginative process of turning life into art. (Renoir has some venerated film classics to his credit, including
Grand Illusion and
The Rules of the Game, but this one can stand right up there with them.) Danglard is clearly an alter ego for the great director, and his opening-night speech to his reluctant star, in which he declares that nothing is more important than what happens on stage, might be Renoir's own statement on art. The final cancan sequence is an explosion of color and movement, as all of Danglard's machinations come to flower; it's been known to leave revival-house audiences teary-eyed with pleasure. Baz Luhrmann's
Moulin Rouge may be very sly, but this is the real thing.
--Robert Horton
From the Back Cover
Restored to its original length and dazzling color, Jean Renoir's
French Cancan re-creates the exciting backstage world of the music halls of Montmartre, focusing on the grand opening of the Moulin Rouge. The story revolves around Danglard (Jean Gabin), an aging impresario with a talent for transforming common working girls into dance-hall sensations. Complications arise when he is captivated by Nini (Francoise Arnoul), a beautiful laundress, and decides to make her the star of his new show. Despite a jealous mistress (Maria Felix) and romantic intrigue, the show must go on, concluding with an exuberant, high-kicking cancan finale, which Rod McShane of
Time Out calls "one of the finest dance sequences ever filmed, and worth the price of a ticket on its own."
French Cancan is a timeless classic from one of the world's greatest directors. In French with English subtitles, color, 105 minutes, 1954.
