Following the experimental independent debut feature Whirlpool of Fate, legendary auteur Jean Renoir (La Grande Illusion, The Rules of the Game) would return to silent cinema in a grand fashion with his ambitious sophomore effort, Nana. Based on the 1880 novel by Émile Zola, this 1926 feature would find the director moving from a minimalist vision to an extravagance usually reserved for the most established directors. Such care was spent towards faithfully adapting the beloved novel that the budget ballooned to ridiculous heights that the film did not come close to covering during its box office run. This put Renoir in a kind of director’s jail for many years, but creatively many believed this to be one of his greatest films from the silent era. While I cannot quite get on board with that assessment, it is without question that Renoir leveled up in showcasing his talents with this intricately crafted epic.
Once again Renoir teams up with his wife Catherine Hessling in the titular role of Nana, a young actress who has an ambition that outweighs her talents. The young woman has numerous negative qualities; Nana is arrogant, vain and vulgar, but she is greatly admired by men for her beauty which allows her to pass through life with ease – often leaving behind a path of destruction. While propositioned to become a mistress by more than one party early on in her career, she only relents to becoming a proper courtesan after she puts forth such a dismal performance on stage that her play is forced to close. Count Muffat (Werner Krauss) is the lucky suitor that takes her in, but he will soon learn that living with this young lady is no picnic. While keeping in line with her unrefined background and terrible acting skills for the character, Hessling shows absolutely no restraint in her performance in a way that can be quite distracting. It is quite jarring to go from seeing a relatively reserved turn in Whirlpool of Fate to something so outrageous and incongruous here.
There is some interesting drama to wring from the differing class structures at work here, which is a calling card of sorts for Renoir. No matter how much she may want to be more, Nana is a working class girl who cannot seem to rise above her more ingrained qualities. Throughout this story, man after man falls for this young beauty, but her choices only drag everyone around her into the depths of tragedy in various ways. This is interesting up to a point, but the true downfall of this film is the nearly three-hour runtime which the narrative never justifies in the slightest. That the film takes fifty minutes to even make it to her becoming a courtesan is frankly ridiculous, but there is simply not enough interesting plot to get through here. The script is really smart about developing all of the secondary characters so that you get invested in their ultimate fates, but the story feels like it repeats itself many times and harms its pacing with big spectacle sequences at a race track and a nightclub. Only the most ardent film fans will be able to make it all the way through without checking their watch at least once.
Renoir makes you forgive this a bit thanks to his continued work in pushing the boundaries of filmmaking. The beginning of the film jumps right in with a really immersive vertical tracking shot that verges seamlessly into a play that sets up the core narrative of the story. He also uses his keen eye as a second language to draw parallels in class disparity thanks to how various settings are edited to showcase the contrast in styles. While often a dark and tragic story, Renoir keeps an absurd humor intact throughout the duration from an opening malfunction during a play that leaves Nana dangling helplessly above the stage to a more eyebrow-raising sequence where Nana forces a lover to pretend to be a dog as an act of dominance. The spectacle of the film is admirable, but much could have been done to tighten up the narrative considerably to keep interest from waning over this monstrous runtime.
Video Quality
Nana makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a magnificent transfer from a 4K restoration that is even more impressive than Whirlpool of Fate. Like that debut film, this 95-year-old work of art holds up surprisingly well in this truly wonderful presentation. The gorgeous black-and-white photography shines in high definition with consistent natural grain intact. There is a surprising amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing and within the setting. The transfer shows off an astounding amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels present with some great depth with no major occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is really well defined with not much in the way of flicker or specks of damage to the print, especially compared to some films of this age I have seen. There are some stray, faint vertical lines that make a quick appearance without ruining the overall aesthetic of the film. Renoir is much more consistent with his lighting on this sophomore outing so that nothing ever looks washed out. Kino Classics has knocked it out of the park with this transfer.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray presents the film with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that sounds quite lovely. Like Whirlpool of Fate, the film is graced with an original score composed and performed by Antonio Coppola that is spritely and inviting. As this is a silent film, the music is the only element to contend with in this track, and it sounds bright and pleasing with no clipping or age related wear and tear. Silent film fans should be thrilled with the sound quality of this track, as the new piece seems to accompany the thematic elements well.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film Historian Nick Pinkerton provides a very insightful commentary track in which he takes you through the story while putting it into context, discusses the behind-the-scenes details and history of key figures in the production, explores some of the filmmaking techniques, delves into the film’s legacy and much more. The movie is not difficult to follow, but this track is a very worthwhile listen to if you want to gain an even greater appreciation for the nuance within the film.
- Before-And-After Restoration Comparison: A two-minute look at how the film looked before and after the restoration, which could not be a more night and day difference. This was a stunning restoration by any reasonable standard.
- Trailers: There are trailers provided for Ponette, Tous les matins du monde, and Under The Sand.
Final Thoughts
Nana is a noticeable upgrade in scale and ambition for Jean Renoir, but for sheer entertainment value it cannot equal his debut. The film is hurt greatly by a nearly three-hour runtime that intricately staged set pieces can only do so much to keep engaging. Many of the performers in the ensemble are quite impressive, but the performance from star Catherine Hessling is way too broad and exaggerated for personal taste. Kino Classics has released a Blu-Ray with a truly outstanding A/V presentation and a couple of interesting supplemental features. If you are a Renoir fan looking to round out your collection, this disc is technically excellent.
Nana will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on July 20, 2021.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
