Top Ranked Films of Jean Renoir

Jean Renoir
8 titles, 23rd in points with 21,372

Jean Renoir is the son of the famous French impressionist painter August Renoir. He is considered by many critics to be perhaps the greatest filmmaker ever. Even though Rules of the Game came in higher on the consensus of all polls, you will more often see La Grande Illusion chosen as someone's choice for all time favorite. Woody Allen said only three films rose above cinema for him, and elevated themselves to the status of pure art: Bergman’s Seventh Seal, Antonioni’s L’avventura, and Renoir’s La Grande Illusion.

These are all the films of Renoir’s that made the top 1000 in our 2011 update of the Top Ranked 1000 Films on the Net, all polls. He has 8 titles in the top 1000, tied with 5 others (Bresson, Chaplin, Visconti, Powell, and Hawks) for 11th most.

1. Rules of the Game, The (1939) #63
2. Grande Illusion, La (1937) France, bw #197
3. Golden Coach, The (1952) #345
4. The River (1951) #610
5. Crime of Monsieur Lange, The (1936) #620
6. Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932) #676
7. French Cancan (1954) #818
8. La Chienne (1931) #912

The River is a very good story shot in India, and I believe Renoir's first film in color.

Boudu Saved From Drowning was slightly altered and re-made as Down and Out in Beverly Hills, which had a more comedic slant than the original, a more serious film about a down and out bum who tries to drown himself.

See the full list of top ranked 100 directors here: Top Ranked 100 Directors, 2011 Edition