The Crime of Monsieur Lange
Le Crime de Monsieur Lange
France • 1936
Director
Synopsis
An oft-overlooked jewel from Jean Renoir, this exuberant ode to working-class solidarity is both one of the director’s most thoroughly charming works as well as one of his most sly political statements. Channeling the collectivist, utopian spirit of the Popular Front movement, THE CRIME OF MONSIEUR LANGE combines comedy with thriller elements to tell the story of a publishing house where the exploited employees form a collective following the sudden death of their tyrannical boss. When the supposedly dead man unexpectedly returns, a mild-mannered writer of Western serials (René Lefèvre) takes matters into his own hands.
Synopsis
An oft-overlooked jewel from Jean Renoir, this exuberant ode to working-class solidarity is both one of the director’s most thoroughly charming works as well as one of his most sly political statements. Channeling the collectivist, utopian spirit of the Popular Front movement, THE CRIME OF MONSIEUR LANGE combines comedy with thriller elements to tell the story of a publishing house where the exploited employees form a collective following the sudden death of their tyrannical boss. When the supposedly dead man unexpectedly returns, a mild-mannered writer of Western serials (René Lefèvre) takes matters into his own hands.
Credits
Crew
DirectorJean Renoir
WriterJean Renoir
CinematographerJean Bachelet
ComposerJoseph Kosma, Jean Wiener
EditorMarthe Huguet, Marguerite Renoir
ProducerAndré Halley des Fontaines