. . . and the period in which she morphed into a TV series followed by her hit movie, FRENCH CANCAN served as one of Western Civilization's top testaments to Girl Power. Her face may not launch a thousand ships, but "Nini" inspires the princes around her to shoot themselves, with the commoners merely reduced to a perpetual state of flying fisticuffs. Since France is a notoriously repressed and timid culture when it comes to cinema, FRENCH CANCAN falls short of the sort of "10" rating earned by "Bob Altman's" READY TO WEAR flick, because it pulls its punches for the Grand Finale. Whereas Altman's triumph about the Fashion Industry concludes with the ultimate style statement (the famous runway parade of Beauties sporting their Birthday Suits), FRENCH CANCAN falls short of its titular promise by filming scores of gymnastic splits but not one of the anatomical sort which put the Real Life "Moulin Rouge" night club on the map. Alas, Altman enjoyed the American aura of Freedom for Female Forms, whereas the director of FRENCH CANCAN is obviously hamstrung by Prudish Parisian Pudendum Pruners.

Only being aware of Jacques Demy's work,I started looking round for other French Musicals. Finding his work in black and white to be magnificent, I was absolutely thrilled to discover a Musical by Jean Renoir (in colour!) which in excitement, led to me joining the Can- Can.The plot:Struggling to keep his nightclub going, (with his mistress Lola's belly dancing being the only one bringing the crowds in) Henri Danglard looks for new acts.Visiting a club in another town, Danglard eyes a suggestive dance called the Can-Can. Deciding to bring the dance to the club, Danglard crosses paths with star in waiting Nini, and decides to make her the star attraction. Battling with money issues,the bruised ego of Lola and the protected boyfriend of Nini, Danglard remains determined to keep the mill spinning and re-design his club,which shall be named the Moulin Rouge.View on the film:Retaining a touch of class even when showing suggestive dances, co- writer/(with André-Paul Antoine) director Jean Renoir & cinematographer Michel Kelber make their Moulin Rouge an immaculate creations, covered in lavish, chocolate wrapper colours, (and Georges Van Parys's thrilling score)with Renoir separating the stage acts into segments,and making each of them look like a sweet delight.Filling the club with a drizzle of frilly dresses, Renoir gives each dance sequence a glittering stylisation of the camera elegantly capturing each Musical number/dance move, and Renoir takes the viewer right to the back of the venue, so that they can become fully immense in the outpouring of chaos in the club.Keeping the fact that this is the Moulin Rouge secret for the first half, the screenplay by Renoir and Antoine whip up a fluffy Musical Melodrama,with the writers giving Danglard sharp comedic dialogue that shines even when Danglard is close to losing it all. Turning the behind the scenes windmill of the Moulin Rouge, the writers unveil a rich Melodrama with a firm comedic line dance, as the arrival of Nini leads to swift exchanges between Lola and Danglard, who finds his investors uneasy over the opening, when Nini's boyfriend pulls her away from the stage,and leaves a friction between her and Danglard.Retaining her "Queen of Mexican cinema" glamour, María Félix gives a wonderful performance as Lola,with Félix finely balancing Lola's abrupt manner to Nini with a limelight-grabbing on stage charisma. Gingerly stepping on stage, Françoise Arnoul gives an excellent performance as Nini,whose clear talents Arnoul keeps just behind the lights of Nini's nervousness and the Melodrama romance that turns Nini away from the stage. Fighting to keep the lights on,Jean Gabin gives an excellent performance as Danglard,with Gabin hitting Danglard's charm offensive with bombastic high notes ,which are threaded by a sensitivity over making sure everyone is dancing to the same tune,as Nini kicks off the French Can-Can.

Someone once described this film as a wonderful soufflé and they were quite right. Light-hearted and full of zest for life, the bold colours reflect the pure joy and optimism bursting from this Renoir vehicle.Unlike a Hollywood musical however, there is a slightly dark undertone that gives this film more depth. The lead character, played by the ever-talented Françoise Arnoul is an anti-heroine and the does little to generate empathy from her audience. Disloyal, selfish and ambitious her love affairs highlight her capricious nature and result in one attempted suicide.Far more likable are the male leads, each of whom is an interesting and, for a musical, well-drawn character, particularly the aristocrat who attempts suicide after he is treated so poorly by the girl. Bravely, Renoir leaves the love affair unresolved at the end, just as it would be in real life. The musical numbers are well-choreographed, the climax being one of the most dazzling scenes ever filmed with dancers bursting forth and flying everywhere. The pace of the film is rapid, reflecting the energy of the dance numbers. The sets are perhaps a little too sanitised for the music halls of the late nineteenth century but they reflect a nostalgia for an idealised past and a hope for the future as Europe left the Second World War behind. The lighting is bright throughout again reflecting the new optimism of the post-war age. Even in the darkest scenes of the clashes between Arnoul and her lovers, there is a brightness that, ironically, works well.Ultimately, this is a film about optimism but it is not a naive optimism that everything will be perfect. Hard choices will need to be made and people will be as selfish and ambitious as ever and the good people who try to care for them will still suffer through their total disregard for the feelings of others. Nevertheless, there is a hope that things are improving and that basic joys like that of the music hall and light entertainment, however banal, can be enjoyed once more with an innocence regained after the darkness of the 1940s and the reign of the Vichy Government.

As a longtime admirer of the 2001 film "Moulin Rouge" and a more recent admirer of Jean Renoir's film-making, I knew that I'd inevitably watch his "French Cancan" sooner or later. The movie tells a fictionalized story of the opening of the Moulin Rouge nightclub. The impresario Danglard (Jean Gabin) tries to turn Montmartre laundress Nini (Françoise Arnoul) into a cancan star, without arousing the wrath of his tempestuous mistress, the belly-dancing Lola (Maria Felix). This is just one of several love triangles in "French Cancan"--true to stereotype, these French showbiz folk are always falling in love.Renoir directs with his typical gentle humor and attention to supporting characters, and also wrote the lyrics to a beautiful waltz song prominently featured in the movie. Gabin perfectly incarnates the aging French playboy hero. Arnoul is a cute redhead who holds her own in the dance numbers, except for a few trick shots where a double is obviously used."French Cancan" is billed as a musical comedy and while there are lots of musical numbers that take place on the nightclub stage, etc., only one character, Casimir, ever breaks into song in the middle of conversation. The actor who plays him, Philippe Clay, is fun to watch--a really tall, skinny young man who sings, dances, and does contortions.The movie ends with a long cancan sequence, as all the characters learn to triumph over their problems and make art together. The dancing is much more brightly lit and coherently edited than in "Moulin Rouge"; in fact, if I have one complaint about "French Cancan," it's that the whole thing is a little too Technicolor. Even when Nini experiences heartbreak or someone sings a melancholy song, the lighting is bright and flat, no shadows intruding. Yes, the result is a cheerful and warmhearted musical comedy; it's just that I can't help thinking that things weren't ever this colorful and innocent in real life.