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Poster for Boudu Saved from Drowning

Boudu Saved from Drowning

1932 · 1h 24m · NOT RATED Comedy
Directed by Jean Renoir

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Overview

Michel Simon gives one of the most memorable performances in screen history as Boudu, a Parisian tramp who takes a suicidal plunge into the Seine and is rescued by a well-to-do bookseller, Edouard Lestingois. The Lestingois family decides to take in the irrepressible bum, and he shows his gratitude by shaking the household to its foundations. With Boudu Saved from Drowning, legendary director Jean Renoir takes advantage of a host of Parisian locations and the anarchic charms of his lead actor to create an effervescent satire of the bourgeoisie.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
100%
Tomatometer
Fresh

A beautifully rhythmed film that makes one nostalgic for the period when it was made.

Pauline Kael, New Yorker
Fresh

Amid the early-talkie crudeness you can see Renoir discover what it means to visually evoke the unpredictable flow of life with composition, movement, and depth.

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
Fresh

The most startling thing about Boudu is just how incredibly fresh it remains.

Wally Hammond, Time Out
Fresh

Jean Renoir's effortless 1932 masterpiece is as informal, beguiling, and subversive as its eponymous hero.

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

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