A Cork In The Current

I'm currently researching Jean Renoir for a class on film / Europe / and Hollywood, here in Amsterdam. I just found this interview and it's fascinating. It's nothing like I expected, especially after watching This Land Is Mine. Don't get me wrong, sometimes I think the man rambles like crazy in this interview, but, what he has to say about technique and art (especially in the second part) really resonates with what I've studied recently (particularly Walter Benjamin's idea of "the aura"). I completely disagree with Renoir's anti-intellectual philosophy, yet, his comments on beauty (although somewhat too general) really stand out: "It's obvious that in a nontechnical era, each action was an artistic act." All and all, it's well worth watching -- even if it's a little heavy handed.