Early noir exploration

At its core French film auteur Jean Renoir's "La Bête Humaine," translated as "The Human Beast," appears to be a film with metaphoric undertones regarding the transition to the industrial age. The opening five minutes of the film are devoted to the inner workings of the steam powered train and the illustrious shots of it blazing through the French countryside, as if it were its own character. In many ways it is. \nMade in 1938, 35 years after Edwin S. Porter astounded audiences with his stunning locomotion cinematography in "The Great Train Robbery," "Humaine" tells the story of Jacques Lantier (played wonderfully by Renoir usual Jean Gabin), a humble train engineer with a troubled past who yearns to find love in his life.\nEarly on we see him meticulously work on the train engine he names Lison with the same gentle care and persistence that one would normally give to a fellow human. Is Lison Lantier's true love? Are trains his true solidarity in life? At first the answers to these questions seem to be yes. \nWhile initially "Humaine" appears to be another one of Renoir's social commentary pieces, in the tradition of his magnificent "Grand Illusion" (one of the first and best anti-war films) or his undisputed masterpiece "Rules of the Game" (an unforgiving critique of French bourgeois social politics), the film unfolds as more of a psychological thriller than anything else.\nLantier gets involved with a classic Lady Macbeth, Séverine Roubaud (Simone Simon), who, after being forced into helping to murder her godfather/possible lover by her husband, desires to rid herself of the burden of guilt by planning to murder her own husband. She turns to Lantier for aid in her dirty deeds.\nIt is written that "La Bête Humaine" may be one of the first cinematic escapades into the film noir genre. There are undoubtedly levels of suspense riddled throughout the film and Roubaud's classic femme fatale character only backs the noir theory. However, while all this maybe true, Renoir seems to convey an underlying social statement with the film that is never fully realized. \nLike always the people at Criterion took their time with this impressive DVD package. There is a great introduction to the film by Renoir himself, in which he discusses the difficulties of filming on a real train and Gabin's utter devotion to learning the ropes of a train engineer (he actually had a train operator's license throughout production). There is also an interview with contemporary filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich about the film's importance and three detailed historical essays.\nWhile "La Bête Humaine" is not Renoir's best work (that title still goes to "Illusion" and "Game") it is still a fascinating look at early French cinema in its prime. Renoir's actors devour their roles, often working without a script, own the cinematography is beautifully stylized and noir fans will be pleasantly surprised by the psychological thrills and bittersweet melancholy that flood this film.