Le Crime de Monsieur Lange. 1936. France. Directed by Jean Renoir. Written by Jacques Prévert. With René Lefèvre, Florelle, Jules Berry. In French; English subtitles. DCP. Restored in 4K by Studiocanal at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory (Bologna). 83 min.
After maliciously charming publisher Batala (Jules Berry) is presumed dead, lowly pulp writer Lange (René Lefèvre) and laundress lover Valentine (Florelle) help organize a worker’s cooperative to publish Lange’s hit Western serial “Arizona Jim.” This 4K restoration premiered at the 2017 New York Film Festival. “Perhaps the most delightful of Renoir’s films…with its splendid 4K restoration, Monsieur Lange looks brand new. Given its emphasis on the precariousness of the journalistic profession, it is as topical as any movie made this year, and a good deal funnier than most” (J. Hoberman).