The psychological causes and manifestations of violence in the selected clips by Renoir and Resnais are quite similar. In many ways, in these clips it is impossible to significantly differentiate the victim from the aggressor. Although there is an actual violent act perpetrated in each sequence, both directors force us to question our preconceived ideas about the moral implications of violent acts. Whereas many films portray violent actions as isolated occurrences which are the result of either a spontaneous or premeditated choice made by the perpetrator, Renoir and Resnais use many devices, cinematographic and psychological, to make the viewer acknowledge the multitude of forces which bring about violence.
Let us briefly examine this moral phenomenon in each of the four films, after which I will analyze more closely the actual techniques used to reflect it. In Mon Once D’Amerique, Janine’s attack on Jean is obviously not an act of cold blooded aggression. It is instead the inevitable explosion of someone who has been mistreated long enough to reach a kind of breaking point. In fact, Resnais literally likens the impact of Jean’s final words to a shove down a steep flight of stairs (incidentally, an act more violent than a slap). Renoir, in La Chienne, presents a similar situation, except the genders have been reversed. Again, the victim of the physical act of violence, Lulu, is portrayed as the perpetrator of a more "violent" psychological aggression. Throughout the film, Maurice is the victim of Lulu’s constant trickery, deception and emotional abuse. When he finally becomes aware of this and realizes Lulu’s total lack of sympathy or regret, Maurice is also driven beyond his breaking point and commits the murder.
In Le Crime de M. Lange, Renoir seems to expose a similar theme of violence caused by non violent oppression and mistreatment. This time, however, the individual characters are used as a metaphor for larger scale economic aggression. Batala, the victim of the murder, in fact represents the corruption and abuse of the economically powerful in a capitalist society. The printing press finally escapes this system through the assumed death of their boss; and when it is found that Batala was not actually killed, and he tries to return to his position of power, Lange kills him almost innocently. Finally, in La Regle du Jeu, Renoir shows how violence is caused by the empty rules placed on the members of different classes. The lack of purpose in the lives of the aristocracy, together with their social limitations, leads to the organized violence of the hunt. Similarly, Schumaker’s frustration with his position manifests itself continuously in his authoritarian treatment of his wife and of Marcau; finally, his frustration also causes him to explode in an absurd, blind murder.
These themes and ideas are interestingly reflected and exposed by the mise-en-scene and editing of Resnais and Renoir’s films. In the above-mentioned sequence, Resnais emphasizes the effect of the past on his character’s actions through the insertion of seemingly unrelated shots. Through this technique of continual interruption, he denies the possibility of seeing Janine’s violent act as an isolated event. For example, the intercutting of the bicycle which was used by a priest to baptize Jean, in case he died, shows that even Jean cannot be held fully responsible for his effect on Janine. His weakness can be traced to early childhood. The sewing machine connects Janine to her working conditions; the rat provides another way of viewing human living conditions, the protective spikes falling off the chestnut represent human vulnerability, etc. More interesting, though, is Resnais’ method of downplaying the importance of the actual slapping act through mise-en-scene. Just before beginning to hit Jean, Janine is shown in close-up, where the pain in her face is easily discerned. When the fight begins, the camera distances itself to a full shot. When the next shot cuts to Rene suffering in the hospital, the camera approaches to a medium shot. When his wife moves to comfort him, the camera further approaches to a medium close-up. Then the camera is back to a medium shot of the fight. The symbolic intercuts are shown in "objective" full shots. The next time the fight is shown is in a long shot, at a high angle, with the two characters at the bottom of the screen. Thus, Resnais emphasizes the importance of emotion and suffering, illustrates the non-compromising presence of outside elements (i.e. past events, symbols of human condition), and shows the actual violent event from a progressively more distant overview. Moreover, the music does not accompany the intensity of the act of fighting, but it does reflect the somber mystery of the multitude of elements at play.
In La Chienne, Renoir similarly downplays the actual violent acts in favor of the events leading up to them. In La Chienne, Lulu’s victimization and Maurice’s aggression are shown only ironically through Lulu’s being surrounded by white and Maurice’s being dressed all in black. More important, though, is the fact that Maurice is almost always seen from below and Lulu from above, symbolizing his superiority over her even in his pathetic state. Maurice’s outfit also allows for high contrast lighting, showing the variety of emotions present in him. However, most of the important emotional going-ons in this sequence are shown through the dialogue between the two characters. Maurice grows more and more upset about Lulu’s indifference to his love, and when she insults him outright, he can no longer take it. The music playing outside on the street plays many important roles. First, it shows the outside world’s indifference to individual plight. As Maurice’s struggles escalate, it is the music that attracts public attention. Also, the sweet music again provides an interesting counterpoint to the upcoming violence. Finally, during the actual murder, the viewer is not in the room, but outside, partaking in the happenings of everyday life. We only get to see what happens before and after the violent event, which, Renoir seems to be saying, is more important anyway.
In Le Crime de M. Lange, Renoir shows us the events leading up to another innocent, justifiable murder. The above mentioned themes of oppression, victimization, and violence are central not only to the scenes preceding the actual murder, but to the entire film. Recall that the whole story takes the form of Valentine’s recounting the events that took place, in order to justify the murder to the people who want to turn Lange in. Therefore, in this particular sequence Renoir is able to focus completely on the immediate circumstances surrounding the murder. The mise-en-scene seems to focus completely on giving "an impression of dizziness, of madness, of suspense." Again, Renoir wishes to show everything that is going on all around the scene of the crime. This time, though, instead of cutting back and forth from one scene to another, he achieves an incredible sense of fluidity through the use of long, elaborate pans. This way we get an even greater deemphasis of isolated events. The confusion of the entire scene, as well as the upcoming fancy camera work, is foreshadowed by the drunken staggering of the concierge. He walks out of the house and the camera follows him as he drags a garbage can to the middle of the courtyard. The walk to the courtyard is shown by a traveling shot similar to the one used to show Lange walking from room to room upstairs before the murder. The next time the concierge is shown in the courtyard, after briefly seeing Batala, he is exclaiming to himself, "A dying man! A dying man (un mourant)". This obviously foreshadows Batala’s death. Furthermore, Batala actually suggests to Lange, half jokingly, that he should kill him. Finally, let us examine in detail the final shot: Batala is seen harassing Valentine in an eye level shot. The camera then travels upward to the first floor of the building, where we see Lange through the window. Again, the murderer is shown in a shot with high contrast lighting. The camera then follows Lange from the outside of the building as he walks to the left. We see a constant contrast from the blackness in between the windows to the bright light emitted by them. Compositionally, the windows provide a strong vertical element, while the division of the wall in the background provides the horizontal line followed by Lange. Lange reaches the stairs and the camera travels back down. This time, Lange’s verticality is balanced by the horizontal lines of the stairway. When Lange exits the building, the camera continues its leftward pan to complete 360 degrees back to where we started with Batala. This provides the confusion mentioned by Bazin above, for Renoir could have easily cut from Lange exiting to his approach toward Batala. This way, though, the viewer is disoriented long enough to be somewhat distracted during the actual murder, just as Lange himself is. We experience the same surprise as Lange at the ease and quickness of Batala’s fall.
Both Renoir and Resnais, through their portrayal of violence, force us to question our preconceived notions of moral responsibility by attempting to show us a point of view that is broad and takes into account as many of the forces at play in human activity as possible. It is interesting to note that although not many believe that one should be punished for slapping someone, we do have strong ideas about murder. However, in both La Chienne and Le Crime de M. Lange, I expect that few viewers feel that justice has not been served when both murderers get away without "paying" for their crime.
October 20, 1995, Tao Ruspoli