I must confess I had seen no film by Jean Renoir prior to watching Le testament du Docteur Cordelier. That's embarrassing. I have a strong doubt that this movie is not considered a peak in the Renoir ouvre. Actually, this take on Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is quite funny, but not so much more than that. The scenes in an urban setting are great. And it is always entertaining to watch another movie that pokes fun at eccentric psychiatrists & psychologists. I couldn't stop thinking that the violent scenes might have had an influence on the perspective on violence in A Clockwork Orange. The Hyde character is a mix of Chaplin and Alex in Kubrick's movie, swaggering, spastic, an embodiment of movement. The physicality of this character is rather fascinating to watch - and the idea of "violent impulses" that is evoked here. This was perhaps even the most interesting aspect of the film, the physical transformation Jekyll - Hyde.
I will watch some other Renoir film soon.
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