The Testament of Dr. Cordelier
(Le Testament du docteur Cordelier)
With Jean-Louis Barrault, Michel Vitold, Teddy Bilis.
France, 1961, 35mm, black & white, 95 min.
French with English subtitles.
Print source: Institut Français
This loose adaptation and updating of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was Renoir’s first made-for-TV film. Jean-Louis Barrault (Children of Paradise) delivers a chilly and enigmatic performance as Dr. Cordelier/Opale in a film that was shot quickly, often using only single takes captured on multiple cameras. Renoir himself termed it “an experimental film arising out of my work in theatre.” A few years previously, Renoir had directed his first play and became enamored with the process. He resolved to free the actor from the tyranny of “the exasperating director’s cry of ‘cut!’” by filming with several cameras at a time and leaving it up to the performer as to when to stop the scene. The result was hailed by the Cahiers crew (Godard, Truffaut and Chabrol), but few others.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
The Diary of a Chambermaid
This Land is Mine
The Woman on the Beach
Catherine, or A Life Without Joy
The Southerner
The Little Theatre of Jean Renoir
The Elusive Corporal
The Testament of Dr. Cordelier
Boudu Saved From Drowning
Elena and Her Men
Jean Renoir, the Boss, Part 2: Directing the Actor
