Elena and Her Men

(Elena et les hommes, Jean Renoir, France/Italy 1956, 86 min., 35mm, English dialogue version)

Ingrid Bergman: From Rochester with Love. Jean Renoir’s classic romantic comedy of intertwining love and the shrewd power of desire, set during the tumultuous political and social turmoil of turn-of-the-century France. Ingrid Bergman stars as Polish princess Elena, a woman at the center of a tangled knot of affections. She captures the eye of General Rollan (Jean Marais), begins to juggle the hearts of several men, and becomes ensconced in a political world of competition, manipulation, and desperation. Claude Renoir’s dream-like cinematography and Ingrid Bergman’s buoyantly animated performance, supported by an ensemble of character actors, fill this merry-go-round satire with memorable moments that stand out in the careers of everyone involved.