Boudu Saved from Drowning
A feral Parisian tramp turns a respectable bookseller’s household upside down after being rescued from the Seine.
Overview
A comedic tale of a tramp whose chaotic presence disrupts a bourgeois household, leading to unexpected revelations.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- irreverent
- witty
- anarchic
- classic film night
- arthouse comedy viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly celebrate Renoir's exuberant social satire and Michel Simon's unforgettable anarchic performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Boudu's rescue and extended stay in the Lestingois home unsettle its domestic routines, sexual arrangements, and moral assumptions.
Boudu remains deliberately lazy, dirty, and salacious rather than accepting the behavioral standards of his bourgeois hosts.
Michel Simon's bodily performance as Boudu drives the film's comic clashes with the orderly bookseller's household.
Mr Lestingois offers shelter to Boudu, but the household's hospitality is inseparable from expectations that Boudu should become manageable.
Films like Boudu Saved from Drowning, and why
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
shared anarchic comedy, social satire, and an outsider disrupting bourgeois respectability
The Rules of the Game
shared irreverent humor, anti-bourgeois satire, and socially disruptive comic outsiders
The Exterminating Angel
shared comic rebellion against domestic convention and class-bound social manners
Movie Details
- Director
- Jean Renoir
- Release Date
- 1932-11-11
- Runtime
- 84 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (158)
Cast
- Michel Simon
- Marcelle Hainia
- Sévérine Lerczinska
- Jean Gehret
- Max Dalban
- Jean Dasté
- Charles Granval
- Geneviève Cadix
- Jacques Becker
- Georges D'Arnoux
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Boudu Saved from Drowning about?
- A feral Parisian tramp turns a respectable bookseller’s household upside down after being rescued from the Seine.
- What is Boudu Saved from Drowning like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Boudu Saved from Drowning as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Boudu Saved from Drowning violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Boudu Saved from Drowning as mild.
- What did critics think of Boudu Saved from Drowning?
- Critics broadly celebrate Renoir's exuberant social satire and Michel Simon's unforgettable anarchic performance.
- Which films are like Boudu Saved from Drowning?
- Films with a similar feel include The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Rules of the Game, and The Exterminating Angel.
- How long is Boudu Saved from Drowning?
- Boudu Saved from Drowning runs 84 minutes.
- Where can I watch Boudu Saved from Drowning?
- In United States, Boudu Saved from Drowning streams on Criterion Channel.
