The River( 1951)

TV-MADramaRomance

72%

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Score

Beauty... Mystery... Delightful Humor...

Overview

Director Jean Renoir’s entrancing first color feature—shot entirely on location in India—is a visual tour de force. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film eloquently contrasts the growing pains of three young women with the immutability of the Bengal river around which their daily lives unfold. Enriched by Renoir’s subtle understanding and appreciation for India and its people, The River gracefully explores the fragile connections between transitory emotions and everlasting creation.

Top Billed Cast

Nora Swinburne
The Mother
Esmond Knight
The Father
Arthur Shields
Mr. John
Suprova Mukerjee
Nan
Thomas E. Breen
Capt. John
Patricia Walters
Harriet
Radha Burnier
Melanie
Adrienne Corri
Valerie
June Tripp
Narrator (voice)
Nimai Barik
Kanu (uncredited)
Richard R. Foster
Bogey (uncredited)
Jane Harris
Muffie (uncredited)
Jennifer Harris
Mouse (uncredited)
Trilak Jetley
Anil (uncredited)
Bhogwan Singh
Sajjan (uncredited)
Penelope Wilkinson
Elizabeth (uncredited)
Cecilia Wood
Victoria (uncredited)

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A review by CinemaSerf

Written by CinemaSerf on Thu Feb 08 2024

I found there to be something of the beauty of one of novelist Rumor Godden's other novels - "Black Narcussus" (1947) in this gorgeously photographed tale of three young women growing up with the Ganges river providing a constant in their lives. Our story is narrated, in part, by "Harriet" (Patricia Walters) who lives an affluent life beside the river with her much younger sisters, brother and with her mother (Nora Swinburne) expecting number seven! The age difference means she spends much of her time with her two friends "Valerie" (Andrienne Corri) and "Melanie" (Radha). "Melanie" is of mixed-...